Overture Sins
by grey0716
Summary: The harsh battle has finally ended with the demise of Terumi. But the future is yet to be decided. They try to make it into a peaceful one, but fate says otherwise. Now the new generation has to struggle with the burdens that the old has left for them. Prequel to Chrono Paradigm.
1. Prologue: Advent

**Overture Sins**

**Prologue: Advent**

* * *

**AN:** **I'm baaaaack! Anyways, this is the start of my new project, Overture Sins! This is going to serve as the prequel to Chrono Paradigm, telling the events of everything that led up to the beginning of CP.**

**Now to those of you that are new and don't know who I am or what the hell this is, like I said above, the sequel to this story already exists and is completed, so if you would like to check that out first then feel free to do so.**

**To those of you who are familiar with me and have already read CP, then you already know the OCs that are going to show up and may have a good idea on what's going to happen. While you may know what happened, this is gonna tell you how it happened. Think of OS as the Phase Zero to the canon BlazBlue series.**

**And since this is a new story, let's get this out of the way:**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own any characters except for the OCs that appear throughout the duration of Overture Sins. I am just a humble fan ****of BlazBlue who supports its epicness and I hope you do too.**

**Edit: This chapter was edited after looking over it and seeing that my protagonist...in all honesty was a little lacking compared to previous showcases of his handy work (also considering that he isn't an amnesiac day 1 this time around). So I decided to give him some more power. To the guest who pointed that out, I thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughts (I'm just glad it wasn't a flame), but I will digress on one thing. His move set already exists in another story, and Destrudo is defined as the opposite of libido, the urge to create, and thus is the urge to destroy. Considering what kind of character he is (since you know blood overload, I'm guessing you have some knowledge of CP), I'm sure this fits.**

**But enough talk! Let's get started!**

* * *

_02/03/2200 AD 13:05_

_Location: 5__th__ Hierarchical City of Ibukido_

* * *

"Damn it! Goddamn it!"

Terumi backed away, until he almost tripped over. He turned back and saw the shutdown Cauldron behind him.

"It's over, Terumi! You're finished!"

Terumi glared at the white-haired swordsman in front of him. He snarled as the white knight in front of him, Hakumen was poised to finish him off.

"I'm not done yet, you piece of shit!" Terumi roared as he shot a chain at Hakumen.

Hakumen slashed it down, giving Terumi an opening to run. But as he slipped past Hakumen, he was forced to jump back to avoid a blade slamming down on his face.

"Finally! I found you!"

Terumi looked up to see Ragna the Bloodedge. The worst possible person to run into right now.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Terumi yelled as he got back up.

"Like we'd let you escape with your life, you bastard!" Ragna growled. "You're gonna pay for killing Celica!"

Terumi looked around, and saw that Ragna wasn't alone. Besides him was Jin Kisaragi, with his Yukianesa brandished, and Noel Vermillion in her Murakumo form, Mu-12, floating besides Ragna. Behind Terumi was Tsubaki Yayoi, aka Izayoi, floating above the lime-haired marauder, poised to kill him at any moment. From the upper floors, Iron Tager descended from the broken ceiling, carrying Kokonoe, while a portal opened up, while Kagura Mutsuki dropped down alongside Tager.

"Oh for Christ's sake..." Terumi muttered. "Where the hell's Relius...?!"

* * *

Meanwhile in another part of the ruins of Ibukido, Relius Clover and his puppet, Ignis, were fighting his son, Carl Clover, along with his partner, Nirvana. Surprisingly for Relius, Carl was actually pushing him into a corner.

"It would seem that you have improved," Relius commented while backing away from Carl as he avoided Nirvana's strikes.

Carl didn't even respond, too focused on ending Relius's life.

"But, I must be on my way," Relius said, wanting to end this confrontation short for his own sake. "I do need to help out my accomplice. It would seem that he is in a tight spot."

"Wait! I won't let you escape!" Carl yelled, rushing for Relius.

"Tch...Insolent boy..." Relius muttered. "DUO BIOS!"

Ignis assaulted Carl, but Nirvana stopped Ignis from harming Carl. Utilizing the opening, Carl charged at Relius, knocking him down to the ground. The two began to wrestle each other, Relius wanting to escape, while Carl was doing his best to keep his father immobilized.

"You foolish boy...!" Relius growled as he grabbed Carl by the head. "Let go of me now!"

Relius broke free and pinned Carl to the ground. As Carl tried to get back up, Relius slammed his foot onto Carl's head.

"You have been a thorn to my side for far enough, Carl," Relius hissed. "I do believe it is time to end your miserable life, before you have to suffer like a fool even more."

Nirvana tried to jump into save Carl, but Ignis stopped her from doing so. Relius summoned a sharp cog and shot it at Carl. Carl, sensing the fatal danger of the situation, shot his own machine out of panic. The machine deflected the cog, and stabbed Relius in the chest.

"Wha–?!" Relius gasped, feeling the gear pierce his chest.

Carl's expression was painted with shock as the blood of his own father leaked from his chest and dripped onto Carl's face.

"CARL!"

From the entrance of the area, Makoto Nanaya, along with Bang Shishigami and Litchi Fay Ling, rushed into the scene to find Carl, having stabbed Relius in the chest.

"What the–?!" Makoto gasped, shocked by the situation that was in front of her.

"Sir Carl!" Bang cried, more worried about Carl's safety.

Relius stepped back, freeing Carl from his foot in favor of the new problem at hand.

"You..." Relius gagged, blood puking out of his mouth.

"I–I..." Carl stammered, unable to comprehend what just happened.

Ignis, seeing her master, ignored Nirvana and rushed over to his aid. Nirvana rushed over to Carl and got him away from Relius, while Bang and Litchi came to his aid, while Makoto went to Carl's side.

"To think...that you would actually kill me..." Relius muttered. "Looks like...I underestimated you..."

"F-Father..." Carl could only say.

Relius coughed up some blood, as he lost the strength in his legs, and fell to the ground. Enraged, Ignis was about to attack Carl, but Relius stopped it.

"No, it's no point, Ignis," Relius said.

The puppeteer gestured Ignis to come to him. The puppet obeyed and rushed over to Relius. He whispered something to Ignis, inaudible to the others. Ignis then jumped out of the area, shocking the others.

"What the...?" Makoto asked.

"To think I would see the end like this..." Relius chuckled. "This is also interesting..."

"Father..." Carl said.

"Carl..." Relius said. "Remember this...the past is immortal. What you do now, will carve the path to your future. I do hope you make your decisions wisely, lest they shall come back to haunt you."

Carl didn't say anything, still shocked by what happened. Relius sighed.

"In the end, you are still a fool..." Relius muttered. "Do struggle in your future endeavors. No life is easy, after all..."

"W-Wait...!" Carl suddenly yelled. "How do I revert my sister back to normal?! Tell me!"

"That's simple..." Relius said. "Just put her soul into her former body...of course, that's if you can actually go through with it...the process is not foolproof..."

Carl's eyes widened as the blood continued to leak.

"Farewell...I do hope you all can put up a good show..." Relius muttered.

With one last breath, Relius fell silent.

"F-Father...?" Carl asked, but got no response. "Haha...he's...he's actually dead..."

"Carl...?" Makoto asked.

Carl just stood there, unable to process what just happened. He actually did it. He actually killed his own father. Even if Relius deserved it, Carl couldn't help but fathom on the fact.

"Carl..." Litchi said sadly.

"Sir Carl..." Bang said.

He went over and helped the boy up.

"Mr. Bang..." Carl said hollowly. "I..."

"...Let us depart..." Bang could only say, not knowing what is appropriate to say. "We still have a war to finish."

"Bang! He's...!" Makoto yelled.

"I understand what he is going through right now," Bang shot back. "No...I take that back. I could never understand the pain and shock that Sir Carl is going through right now. But one thing is clear. We must finish the battle no matter what. We have already lost Master Homura, along with Ara–Lotte Carmine. We cannot afford to lose anyone else."

The two women reluctantly nodded their heads, knowing that he was right.

"Sir Carl, I shall bring you back to Madam Rachel's castle, if you would like," Bang offered.

"...No...I'll be alright..." Carl said. "I want to see the end through..."

"...Very well..." Bang said, honoring his decision.

"Carl..." Makoto said sadly.

"I'm fine...Miss Makoto," Carl answered, as Nirvana went besides him. "Let's go. We need to get to everyone else."

Makoto nodded in response, as they all rushed to regroup with everyone else.

* * *

Terumi tried to shoot down Izayoi and Mu, but Jin and Ragna stopped him by slicing down the chains.

"Damn it...!" Terumi grumbled. "I wouldn't have to worry about this if the goddamn four-eyes didn't screw everything up...!"

"Give up! You're outnumbered and have nowhere to run!" Kagura growled.

Terumi didn't have any options left. Due to Trinity Glassfield's interference, Terumi's Life Link is no longer active, meaning that they can kill him now. Relius was nowhere to be found, so he had no means of a distraction, or any hope for one. Not to mention that he was heavily outnumbered, and even if he is insanely strong, even he couldn't handle all of them at the same time. Not to mention Hakumen can erase his existence with his sword now.

'_This can't be happening...! This CANNOT be happening...!'_ Terumi thought. _'What the hell do I do now?!'_

All seemed lost for Terumi, until something unimaginable happened. The Cauldron behind him, which was supposed to be shutdown, suddenly activated, opening up to reveal the entrance to the Boundary.

"What?!" Jin gasped.

"The Cauldron...it opened?!" Hakumen gasped.

Terumi looked shocked as he witnessed the Cauldron opening, then he began to laugh maniacally.

"Looks like I still have one last trick to use!" Terumi yelled. "But still...I have to give all of you props...being able to put me in a situation like this...didn't expect pathetic garbage like you guys to pull it off..."

"What're you–?" Ragna asked.

"But remember this..." Terumi suddenly said. "There's no such thing as a 'happy' ending..."

With that, Terumi stepped back, losing his balance, and began falling into the Cauldron while grinning his trademark crescent shaped grin.

"Wha–Wait!" Ragna yelled.

Ragan ran over to Terumi and tried to grab him from falling, but he was too late. Terumi fell down the Cauldron, falling into the Boundary. The Cauldron then suddenly began to malfunction, and the portal to the Boundary began to dissipate.

"Everyone get back!" Kagura yelled.

They all jumped back, as the Cauldron began to collapse on itself, rendering it unusable. Everyone just stood there, shocked at what just happened.

"Did...that just happen...?" Ragna asked, after a long moment of silence.

"It would seem so."

They all turned to see Rachel Alucard, along with her faithful butler, Valkenhayn R Hellsing.

"Rabbit..." Ragna said.

"Did you do it?" Hakumen asked.

"Yes, the Amaterasu Unit is preserved," Rachel said. "It managed to defeat Izanami."

"Saya..." Ragna muttered sadly.

"Ragna..." Mu said, floating back to his side. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm alright," he responded.

"You guys!"

They all turned to see Carl's group, whom finally reached where they were.

"Makoto...!" Mu and Izayoi exclaimed.

"So?" Kokonoe asked. "What happened to Relius?"

"Relius...is dead..." Carl reported.

"What?!" Tager gasped.

"So you killed him...eh?" Kokonoe asked.

Carl didn't respond. She decided to stop there, sparing the boy from any more interrogation. He was already in an unstable mindset as it is.

"So what now...?" Ragna asked. "Terumi's gone, Relius's dead, and Izanami's no more. What happens now?"

"For now," Rachel answered. "We seal this cauldron to make sure that Terumi never escapes from it ever again."

Rachel lifted her arm, where several jolts of lightning struck down upon the Cauldron, destroying every part of it to make sure it is rendered useless.

"Right...we need to head back," Kagura said. "The battles...it's over...we need to deal with the world now that the NOL lost."

"Right..." Ragna said.

Everyone began to head back, with the exception of Ragna.

"? Ragna...?" Mu asked.

He stared back to the cauldron, which now serves as Terumi's grave.

"...It's all over...huh..." Ragna said.

"Uh huh..." Mu said. "It's all over..."

The two took one last glance at the destroyed cauldron, then headed out with the others to face the world.

"Hey...Ragna..." Mu said.

"Yeah?" Ragna asked.

"Do you think..." Mu asked, blushing as she grabbed Ragna's arm. "That I could come with you...?"

Ragna looked surprised at Mu's request.

"You sure about that?" Ragna asked.

Mu nodded timidly.

"...Suit yourself..." Ragna muttered, blushing.

"C'mon, Noel! Ragna!" Makoto called out.

The two looked up ahead, where everyone else was already ahead. The two rushed over to the others, as they headed out to the world, now free from the tyranny of the NOL and the evils of Terumi.

* * *

02/03/2200 AD

On that day, General Kagura Mutsuki led a coup de tat against the Novus Orbis Librarium to overthrow the Imperator. The ruins of Ibukido were seized that day, as Kagura Mutsuki successfully overthrew the Imperator, and took over as her replacement. Kagura Mutsuki then changed the NOL into a democratic government, allowing freedom to the people and restricting the overwhelming control the military had over the hierarchical cities. The NOL Intelligence Bureau's Captain Hazama, along with the NOL Engineering Department's Colonel Relius Clover were confirmed dead during that day, whereas the NOL's former Praetorian Guard's Lieutenant Noel Vermillion, along with the NOL Intelligence Bureau's Lieutenant Makoto Nanaya were reported as MIA. SS-Class criminal Ragna the Bloodedge was spotted that day, and was captured during the coup due by Bang Shishigami. Bang then turned in Ragna the Bloodedge and was rewarded with the bounty, which he then used to purchase the Ikaruga Federation from NOL control. This was how history remembers this day.

...No one knows the true nature of that day. No one knows about the true death of Relius Clover. No one knows about the Amaterasu Unit's true nature. No one knows that Terumi truly did not die, but was sealed within a broken cauldron. No one knows about the alliance that the key players of this day in history made in order to accomplish the victory.

And everyone decided to keep it that way. And move on with their lives. Whether they rebuild their lives or start a new one, they all chose to keep the truth a secret.

And that decision shall carve the path to a future.

What kind of future, was for them to find out.

* * *

_03/16/2219 AD 15:06_

* * *

"...I know...don't worry, I'll be alright."

Overviewing a large abandoned factory was a lone warrior. The man was wearing a long sleeveless red robe, his red hood covering his head, along with a black sleeveless vest under his robe, and black pants. On his left arm was a metallic gauntlet of black steel that covered the lower part of his left arm. Hoisted on the belt that wrapped his torso was a large rifle with a sharp slab of metal on it. He was on his phone, speaking to someone.

"...It's a simple job," the man said. "It's not like I can't handle myself. I've done jobs like these so many times. I'll be fine."

"..."

"...I know, I'll be careful, will do," the man sighed.

"..."

"Huh...? Milk? We ran out?" the man asked. "Got it. I'll buy some on the way back. Half-gallon...whole milk, right? Got it. Alright, I have to go. Love you too, Mom."

With that, the man cut off the line and put away his phone. He stared down to the factory with a blank expression.

"...Wasn't there a sale today?" the man asked himself. "Oh well...might as well get this over with."

The man then jumped off the cliff, plummeting down to the factory feet first, until he crashed through the roof and landed on his feet. As he stood up, he saw several men, packaging what appeared to be drugs.

"Typical..." the man muttered as he flung his foot out. "Damn it, that smarts...Wasn't my best idea, but whatever."

"Who the hell're you?!" a fat man, presumably the leader, yelled.

"...Hey, you scumbags!" the man called out, ignoring their question. "You're the Franky Family, right?"

"Who wants to know?!" another man yelled.

"Well, you all have a bounty on your hands," the man said, revealing the wanted poster of them. "Or at least your boss does. And it says that you're to be captured 'dead or alive'. That means that I still get the reward even if I kill you, right?"

"Wait, boss...I recognize this kid..." one of them whispered to their leader. "Red robe...black gauntlet...only does 'dead or alive' requests..."

"Yeah!? What's a kid gonna do about it then?!" another man yelled while the first one was discussing with the leader.

"Look, my mom asked me to go buy some milk, so I'd rather deal with that ASAP," the man said as he brandished his blade. "So it'll help me out a lot if you all would just die right now. If not, then out of my way while I kill your boss."

"Don't mock us, you brat!" one of them yelled as he charged at him with a knife.

Unfazed, the man dodged the criminal's knife and sliced him in half, shocking everyone. The two halves of the criminal fell to the ground.

"W–wha–?" the criminal could only say, until the man pointed the barrel of his rifle at his head.

"Told you not to get in my way," the man simply said as he pulled the trigger, blasting his head into bits.

"I knew it...!" the previous man talking to his boss gasped. "Red robe, black gauntlet, rifle-sword...it's him! He's the infamous S-rank vigilante, the 'Red Reaper'!"

They all gasped and began to be filled with fear, as the man walked forward.

"Now, the paper here says I only have to kill tubby over there," the man said, referring to the boss. "So if you don't wanna die, then I suggest you run. I'll be generous and not kill you if you decide to flee."

They all began to contemplate on whether or not to run, fearing their lives.

"Don't let him get to you, you idiots!" their boss yelled. "Red Reaper or not, he's just one kid! We have him outnumbered 30 to 1! Kill him!"

They all heard their boss, and one by one, they all decided to take that chance and try to gang up and kill the boy.

"And here I thought Kidou was an idiot," the Red Reaper muttered as he picked up the corpse of the man he just killed. "Oh well. Let's see if I can get more money from these ants."

The man hurled the corpse into three of them, sending them back. The man then charged energy into his rifle and blasted the corpse, causing it to implode. The Red Reaper then brandished his sword, as he dodged the strikes of the men attacking him, and sliced down each one in return, depleting the majority of the group. Two of them decided to gang up on him, so one charged up front, while the other snuck up behind him. The Red Reaper, in return, simply thrust his blade over his shoulder, stabbing the man behind him in the head, and made an overhead slash, slicing the man in front of him in half, while leaving the man behind him with a head that was sliced in half.

"H-he's a monster...!" one of them gasped.

"We'll all die if we stay here!" another man yelled.

"Don't let him get to you!" their boss yelled. "We still have the number advantage! Get him!"

Although it seemed improbable, they did still outnumber the vigilante, 12 to 1. They all decided to gang up on him, and charged at him in one final strike.

"Idiots," the vigilante said as he charged energy into his blade. "DESTRUDO..."

As they all went for the attack, the man charged at them in return.

"BLADE!"

The man swiped his blade furiously, slashing everyone and slamming them all into the walls, brutally flattening them into the concrete. Their leader; the last remaining criminal, cowered as he fell on his butt.

"I-Impossible..." the man gaped. "There were 31 of us...and they were all taken down by one kid?!"

"And you're next," the 'kid' said as he walked up to the man.

The fat man scurried behind to try and escape, but felt himself colliding into a wall. As the vigilante loomed over him, the man frantically pulled a gun out and tried to shoot him, but the vigilante quickly disposed of the gun by slicing his hand off. The man cried in pain as he tended to his limb.

"Oh please, I've seen worse," the man spat. "Quit crying."

As the fat man looked up, the vigilante shoved the barrel of his rifle into the man's mouth.

"Can you see the scenery around you?" the man asked. "The concrete floors and walls of this factory are tainted with the blood of your comrades. Their flesh scattered across the room like trash. All of their fruitless efforts spilled across the floor."

The man tried to say something, but the barrel kept his mouth gagged. He was staring at a 'vigilante' responsible for this bloodshed, stained with the blood of his friends. His cold, green eyes stared through him, as the fat man managed to pull out the barrel to say one last thing.

"You monster!"

The vigilante quickly re-shoved the barrel back into the man's mouth.

"...Tell me something new," the vigilante said before pulling the trigger.

* * *

After a moment of gathering their corpses to show as proof to get the reward, the vigilante emerged from the building, carrying a large duffle bag.

"That took longer than expected," the man sighed. "Hey, Alicia! Where the hell are you! I need a ride back home, y'know!?"

"Well looks like you had fun, Kain."

The man turned to see a young girl with long purple hair, red eyes and wearing a black and white Gothic Lolita dress and a pendant housing a ruby hanging from her neck.

"Save it," the vigilante, now revealed to be Kain spat. "Just teleport me to the Library so I can get my reward."

"Always with the brutal methods, I see," Alicia said. "Don't you ever get tired of killing your targets?"

"What? It's easier that way," Kain retorted.

"For you maybe," Alicia said. "But it's not 'normal'."

"And when was I ever considered 'normal'?" Kain growled.

"Fair enough," Alicia said, receiving a glare from Kain. "Oh, how scary."

"Quiet," Kain hissed, earning a giggle from Alicia. "Just get me to the NOL. I want my reward and I have to get milk anyways."

"Milk?" Alicia asked as she conjured a black portal.

"Mom said that we ran out," Kain said.

"So you sped up the process of murdering several criminals," Alicia inquired. "Just so you can buy milk?"

"Hey, today's supposed to be a time sale, don't look at me," Kain said in his defense.

Alicia let that sink in, then began to laugh.

"You truly are interesting, Kain," Alicia laughed. "To think you would go that far just to get milk."

"Shut up," Kain growled. "By the way, where's Kidou?"

"He has some business to attend with Mr. Mutsuki," Alicia said.

"With the drunkard?" Kain asked.

"I don't know what, but he has his responsibilities," Alicia said. "Now come along. You need to get that milk, don't you?"

"Right," Kain said as he entered the portal.

As he entered the portal, Alicia looked back to the factory, then back to the portal.

"You would think nothing about this..." Alicia said sadly. "But I guess 'we' are to blame for this..."

* * *

As she entered the portal, she didn't notice someone else in the premises. They didn't notice the jester, floating above them, wearing his wizard hat, black overcoat, and mask that completely covered his face.

"You are right, priestess..." the jester commented. "'You all' are to blame for him. The boy who is cursed by the 'Azure', and consumed by hatred...the new successor to the True Azure...Kain B Vermillion."

The jester couldn't help but laugh maliciously, as he looked up to the sky.

"Everything shall fall apart and be reconstructed anew soon, Kain," the man said. "I do hope you survive by then. I wouldn't have it any other way...ke he he he..."

This is a tale of new generation. A tale of how the burdens of old become the burdens of new. A tale of how history repeats itself, as it leads the world to another 'ending'. A tale of repercussions for denying the past and truth.

A tale of the sins that lead to an overture of hope and despair.

* * *

**Prologue: End**

* * *

**AN: And there you have it! A simple prologue from my own take to the end of Chrono Phantasma up to introducing our protagonist, Kain B Vermillion, along with some major characters. Originally I was to make him get injured slightly, but then again the first ever time I wrote Kain, he was an amnesiac, facing down Tsubaki with less than half of his powers at his disposal at the time. While the Kain here has access to most of his powers and are facing a group of normals. I figured he needed some improvement to make it a better first-impression. Once again, I thank the person for the feedback. And to address another thing, this Kain isn't gonna be as kind as his mom for a while. He's definitely gonna be a loner to some extent, but definitely not kind. You'll see why.**

**And for those of you who are already familiar with Kain: He's different isn't he? Don't lie, he's way more violent and cold-hearted here than compared to his persona in CP. Why is he like this? Well you might have an idea already, but let's see how it played out.**

**Now, here's the layout of the story. While it was run-down like a simple story-line back in CP, I want to try something different here. I plan to make several character arcs as the bulk of the story, similar to how BlazBlue: CT and CS designed their story modes. Basically a few chapters dedicated to one OC, explaining in detail their backstory and their interactions with the other characters. Don't worry, some actual familiar faces will appear during them.**

**So what do you think? If you like it, then good for you. If you don't, I respect that, and I'm just glad that you took the time to read my new story. For those of you who already read through Chrono Paradigm, are you willing to stick with me on another long journey? Tell me what you think and I'll see ya next time!**

**Next story: ****Story of Kain: Defiant**


	2. Story of Kain: Defiant: Chp 01

**Overture Sins**

**Story of Kain: Defiant**

**Chapter 1: Catalyst**

* * *

**AN:** And we begin the first chapter of Overture Sins! First up, is the cold-hearted antihero, Kain!

* * *

_03/16/2219 AD 15:35_

* * *

It was any ordinary day at the Naobi Branch of the Novus Orbis Librarium. The workers there were carrying on with their lives and duties. At the front desk of the branch, the officer there was carrying on with his business, where suddenly he found a huge bloody bag placed onto the counter.

"What the–?!" the worker gasped, until he saw the person who presented the bag. "Oh, it's you again."

"Well aren't you enthusiastic," Kain muttered.

"So what criminal is it this time?" the worker asked.

Kain handed him the wanted poster, allowing him to review it.

"Ah, the Franky Family," the officer said. "I assume that's everyone involved?"

"Yep, all 31 of them," Kain reported.

"Alright then," the officer said. "That adds up to 31.5 thousand pd (platinum dollars). Shall I transfer them to your account like always?"

"Sure," Kain said.

"Alright then, I'll do that right now," the officer said. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Kain nodded in response as he turned to leave.

"If I may ask though, why do you always take the dead or alive missions?" the officer asked. "I mean you could always just keep the criminal and wait for us to retrieve them."

"...Killing them is easier," Kain simply responded as he left.

As Kain made his way out, he could hear the whispers around him.

"Isn't that the Red Reaper...?"

"Yeah...the kid who keeps killing the criminals he goes after."

"He's really good at it though...being able to take on S-rank criminals is a huge feat for a kid."

"He's so violent though...causing huge massacres wherever he goes."

"Can't he do anything other than kill his targets?"

"What a monster. Being able to kill without a second thought like that."

As such, some were positive, while others were negative about him. In the end, however, Kain didn't seem to care, as he made his way out, not wanting to waste any more time there. They did however, annoy him.

"They can say whatever they want," Kain grumbled. "It ain't gonna change much anyways."

* * *

He then proceeded to look around, searching for a market of some sort.

"Right...milk..." Kain mumbled as he found one.

The man headed inside, gaining the attention of everyone around him, wondering who he was, and how he looked so out of place. Kain couldn't help it, though. His attire was far from normal. The giant sword behind him along with his gauntlet didn't help at all, and the fact that he smelled like a familiar scent of iron.

Kain looked around, shooting everyone a cold glare and scaring them to mind their own business. Muttering something under his breath, he looked around until he found some milk and brought it to the cashier.

"Th-that'll be 4 pd..." the cashier said nervously.

Kain took out the money, then noticed the whispers around him, gossiping about him. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, he took out more money than he needed and slammed it on the register.

"Keep the change," Kain muttered bitterly, swiping the milk from the cashier and proceeding to leave.

* * *

'_Damn it...they're all annoying...'_ Kain thought to himself. _'Why can't they mind their own business...?'_

Kain sighed as he headed back to his home. Lazily carrying the milk in one arm, he eventually reached his home; an oriental restaurant owned by his father. Before he entered the restaurant, he took off his hood, revealing his long, spiky blonde hair with silver highlights on the end, tied up into a ponytail. He always wondered why his father never liked to see the hood on him, but shrugged it off.

"I'm back!" Kain called out as he entered the restaurant while taking off his hood.

"Yo, welcome back."

Kain looked over to the counter and saw a man with silver hair and heterocromia; his right eye is red, while his left eye is green. He was wearing a black shirt and pants with a red apron, cooking something. This was Kain's father; Ragna.

"You got the milk?" Ragna asked.

"Yeah," Kain responded as he tossed the milk to his father.

Ragna grabbed the milk with his free hand and placed it on the counter.

"Is Mom back?" Kain asked Ragna.

"Yeah, she's–," Ragna said, until the door opened up from behind.

"Kain, you're back!"

Kain turned around to see a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a white turtle neck and blue pants, wearing a pink apron of her own. This was Kain's mother; Noel.

"Yeah," Kain said. "I bought the milk, Mom."

"Thanks," Noel said. "I knew I should've bought some more on the way back..."

Noel then examined her son, and noticed that his robe was stained all over the place.

"My, your robe is all dirty!" Noel exclaimed.

"Huh?" Kain asked, examining his robe. "Right...I just came back...it's still stained from the job..."

"C'mon, take it off," Noel said. "I'll wash it."

"Eh? Thanks," Kain complied as he took off his robe and placed his sword besides him. "Sorry for the blood stains..."

"It's alright," Noel said. "It's not your fault anyways. It's bound to happen."

"Kain," Ragna said. "Are you sure you want to continue your vigilante job?"

"Eh? Why would I stop?" Kain asked. "I get a ton of money which helps support the family business. Not to mention this is a lot more satisfying."

"But you could get killed," Ragna said, showing concern for his son.

"...Please, like these norms can actually kill me," Kain scoffed. "I am after all, your son, aren't I? 'Grim Reaper'?"

"I told you to never call me that," Ragna said coldly.

"And I already told you that I wouldn't quit this job," Kain shot back, gripping his left arm.

The two glared at each other, until Noel stepped in.

"Now, now, calm down you two," Noel said, breaking it up. "Ragna, you and I both know that Kain is more than capable of taking care of himself. Plus, Rachel and Kagura are overseeing him anyways."

Ragna leered at them, until he sighed in defeat.

"Fine," Ragna muttered. "Just be careful. I don't want anyone else dying on me."

"...Will do," Kain said.

Noel sighed in relief that it didn't break into a fight.

"Besides, Ragna," Noel said. "It's not like he's doing anything different than compared to you."

"Geh?! Hey, that wasn't my fault!" Ragna yelled.

"Your clothes reeked of blood!" Noel exclaimed. "It took a lot of convincing for my parents to let you live with me. And let's not get into our marriage."

"Hey, it all worked out in the end!" Ragna tried to defend himself.

The two began to bicker about such a mundane topic, leaving Kain a little shocked. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, feeling right at home.

"Oh that's right," Ragna said. "I got a call from Kagura. He said he wanted to see you."

"What? Master wanted to see me?" Kain asked, then groaned. "Why didn't he send someone over when I was still at the branch?"

"He probably thought you were still on a request," Ragna shrugged. "He said to meet him back at the Naobi Branch."

"I was just there!" Kain groaned. "Goddamn it..."

Noel handed Kain back his robe, despite it still smelling like blood, as he accepted it and wore it back. He put on the hood and re-hoisted his sword, as he put the hood back on.

"Please, don't' wear the hood in the house," Ragna groaned.

"Huh? Okay..."Kain said as he took the hood off. "Sorry..."

"It's alright, just go," Ragna said.

"Alright, I'll be off then," Kain said as he departed for the branch.

"Why the hell did he have to choose to wear that robe?" Ragna asked. "The hood reminds me too much of him..."

"Should we tell him then?" Noel asked Ragna.

"...No...They don't need to know," Ragna said. "I'll tolerate it..."

* * *

_03/16/2219 AD 17:49_

* * *

Kain made it back to the Naobi Branch, angrily muttering something under his breath as he headed in.

"Yo, Kain!"

Kain looked to see a man around his age with white hair, purple eyes, and was wearing a white kimono and a black skinny hakama.

"Oh it's just you..." Kain said. "So? What does your dad want this time, Kidou?"

"Well aren't you in a good mood," the man now recognized as Kidou said sarcastically. "He told us to head to his office."

"Damn it...just when I thought I could actually relax," Kain grumbled. "Well, let's go."

Nodding in agreement, Kidou led Kain to an elevator, where they entered it. Kidou took out an ID card, swiped it on the platform, and pushed a button, bringing them up to the upper parts of the branch.

"By the way, nice work ya did back there," Kidou said.

"What're you talking about?" Kain asked.

"I saw that huge body bag," Kidou said. "Ya must've made a fortune."

"No, it's small, compared to other requests," Kain said.

"Now, now, don't say it like that," Kidou insisted. "Ya managed to take on 31 criminals by yerself. Not many could've pulled that off."

"You and Alicia could've done it as easy as I did," Kain said. "Not to mention every goddamn adult we know."

"Geez, here I am tryin' ta compliment ya, and yer just putting yerself down," Kidou moaned. "C'mon, feel a little proud of yerself! Ya keep acting like a super-emo and yer not gonna get anyone."

Kain rolled his eyes at his companion's childish antics. It wasn't that big of a deal. Anyone else could have pulled it off. At least anyone he knew could've pulled it off.

Kidou simply sighed as they reached their designated floor. They got out of the elevator, and made their way to the office of their mentor, Invictus Kagura Mutsuki.

"He better not be drinking again..." Kain growled.

"Don't worry, he's not that stupid," Kidou assured his friend.

Kain gave him a glance of disbelief.

"...Shut up," Kidou muttered as he opened the door. "Hey Dad! I brought Kain!"

They entered the office to see a man as old as Ragna with raven-black hair and purple eyes wearing a black cape over a white robe-like shirt. The man looked over to see the two boys.

"Hey, you made it!" the man said jovially.

"You could've told me that you wanted to see me when I was here an hour ago," Kain growled.

"Sorry, didn't know you came back," Kagura said.

"So? What do you need, Master?" Kain asked.

"What? Can't I just see how one of my favorite students is doing?" Kagura asked jokingly.

Kain leered at his mentor, knowing that there was more. Kagura sighed in defeat.

"Fine," Kagura muttered. "Here, take a look at this."

Kagura took out a folder and handed it to Kain. He opened the folder, where he and Kidou took a look inside of it. Inside the folders contained several documents.

"...? 'Cursed Jester'...?" Kain asked.

"Yep," Kagura said. "Recently there's been some intel of someone going around destroying several NOL branches."

"Any clues on this jester?" Kain asked.

"Nope," Kagura said. "The only hints we have is that he's supposedly a psychic."

"A...psychic?" Kain asked skeptically.

"I don't believe it either, but there're no other explanations," Kagura said. "The reports about a flying man, several objects suddenly combusting and imploding, not to mention the corpses."

Kain sifted through the photos, and saw the several corpses. Several of them had imploded limbs, looked like they've been ripped apart by something, and were completely comatose.

"Whoever this jester is," Kagura continued. "There's no denying that he's a complete threat. Without any actual information on him, we can't even make a proper wanted poster of him."

"So he's not officially declared a criminal?" Kidou asked.

"For now, he's just some terrorist that the public doesn't know about yet," Kagura said.

"So we have a maniac on the loose and we don't even have any idea who he is," Kain said. "Great. More freaks to worry about."

"So what do ya plan to do, Dad?" Kidou asked.

"For now, we'll try and gather some more information on this jester," Kagura said. "So for now, you two be careful. We don't know what this jester is truly capable of."

"Right," Kain said. "Is that it?"

"Oh by the way, Jin's been meaning to ask, how's Hikari's training doing?" Kagura asked.

"Huh? Hikari? Right," Kain muttered. "She's doing alright. Improving at least. At least the Nox is listening to her now."

"So do you think she's ready for some real-time combat?" Kidou asked.

"I don't know," Kain said. "Might as well take her on a mission to see."

"Don't do anything rash," Kagura said. "You know Jin's gonna have your neck if anything happens to his 'precious little girl'."

"I know, I'm not an idiot," Kain shot back. "Is that it?"

"Yep, I just wanted to warn you about this guy," Kagura said.

"Good," Kain muttered.

With that, Kain left the office, slamming the door on the way out.

"...So how's he doing, Kidou?" Kagura asked.

"...It's the usual," Kidou said.

"I see," Kagura muttered. "It's been ten years since that incident, huh...You'd think he would've let it go by now."

"...He's been through a lot," Kidou defended his friend. "He's not gonna trust 'us' any time soon."

Kagura sighed as he headed back to his desk.

"Keep an eye on him," Kagura said.

"Of course," Kidou said as he left.

* * *

"Can't I have one day of peace?" Kain grumbled as he exited the building and headed back home.

As Kain passed through the streets, people began to notice him. He could begin to hear the hushed conversations between them, mostly the gossips and murmurs about him. In response, Kain moved into one of the alleys to get back home. He navigated through the back alleys, avoiding any human contact as much as possible.

"For Christ's sake, can't they leave me alone...?" Kain grumbled.

As soon as Kain made another sharp turn, he suddenly stopped to jump back, avoiding a sudden blade of air.

"Apparently not..." Kain grumbled.

Kain looked up to the sky, where above him was a man his own age. He had short and spiky raven-black hair and amber eyes, and wore a dark green feudal Eastern sleeveless vest, black baggy pants, and a large red scarf. On his arms were two bracers with sharp blades on them.

"You again," Kain muttered. "What do you want, Burai?"

"What, had a bad day already?" the man taunted as he jumped down and landed in front of him. "Eh? 'Red Reaper'?"

"Well it was bearable until you showed up," Kain growled. "So? What do you want? You wanna lose again?"

"I ain't going down this time!" he yelled. "This time I'm gonna beat you!"

"Really? You? Beat me?" Kain asked. "Please, if you can, you would've done so the last 15 other times you began to pester me."

"Sh-shut up!" Burai yelled. "This time I'm gonna beat you!"

"If Itsuki couldn't beat me, then I doubt you can," Kain muttered. "...You're not gonna budge, are you?"

"No shit, Sherlock," Burai said as he brandished his blades.

"What a drag..." Kain sighed as he brandished his sword. "Fine then. If you wanna get your ass kicked again that badly, then I'll gladly comply."

"Less talk, more action!" Burai yelled. "This time I'm gonna beat you to submission!"

Without warning, Burai lunged towards Kain and slashed at him, but Kain blocked the attack with his gauntlet.

* * *

Unnoticed by the two rogues, Kidou was watching them high above on a building, taking a drink from his canvas.

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

Kidou glanced over to see Alicia, emerging from a black portal behind her.

"It's their battle..." Kidou said as he took another sip. "It ain't honorable ta get in their way."

"Is that so?" Alicia asked.

"Well, I'll interfere if it gets a little too rowdy," Kidou assured Alicia.

"So how's Kain doing?" Alicia asked.

"Well, same old, same old," Kidou said as he took another sip. "You can't expect much. It's been ten years, and still Kain hates...well...practically everything."

"He likes us," Alicia said. "Not to mention he can tolerate the adults at least."

"We're an exception, remember?" Kidou asked.

"Any progress?" Alicia asked.

"Well, if there's any progress," Kidou said. "Then I guess teachin' Hikari's been doing something."

Alicia slightly leered at Kidou when he mentioned Hikari.

"So how is her training doing?" Alicia asked.

"Pretty well, I mean she's able to use her Nox," Kidou said.

"I see," Alicia said. "At least she's developing for the better..."

"How do ya define 'better'...?" Kidou asked. "For all we know, she could gain any of Kain's hoodlum traits, and then papa and mama bear's gonna go ham on him."

"Either way, under his tutelage, Hikari will definitely grow out of her arrogant self," Alicia said. "Which is a good thing."

"Why?" Kidou asked.

"Oh you'll see, I hope," Alicia said.

"Really now..." Kidou said as he saw Burai blocked Kain's punch. "Well at least Shishigami's able to put up a fight."

"As expected of the 'Young Lord of Ikaruga'," Alicia said. "If he cannot at least compete with Kain's footwork, then he is all but a weak fool."

"A little harsh there, don't ya think?" Kidou defended Burai.

"They all deserve it for abandoning him all those years ago," Alicia growled.

"...And is this why you're against Kain training Hikari?" Kidou asked.

"Please...they're hypocrites...all of them..." Alicia mumbled.

"Oy vey..." Kidou muttered. "C'mon Alicia. I'm sure they're all regrettin' it."

"Then explain the Ikarugan," Alicia shot back. "Not to mention Itsuki."

"Uh..." Kidou muttered, not able to come up with a good excuse. "At least the others are regrettin' it, right?"

"You're too idealistic and naïve," Alicia muttered. "...Why does Kain have to waste his time with her...?"

"Ah? Ya said somethin'?" Kidou asked.

"Nothing," Alicia instantly said.

"Alright then," Kidou said, hiding a smirk from her. "Just don't steer him to the wrong path. Yer gonna lose to Hikari if ya do."

"Please, I don't intend to lose to that plebeian," Alicia said.

"Sure," Kidou snickered. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kain and Burai exchanged clashes, as they dragged the battle throughout the alleyway. Kain kept on the offensive, dealing swift yet brute strikes from various angles, forcing Burai to keep on the defensive by avoiding and blocking all of the attacks. Burai tried to retaliate by slicing him, but he had to jump back to do so.

"Strike Inferno!"

The moment Burai jumped back, Kain's sword lit a dark flame and he thrusted it at Burai, jabbing him in the gut.

"Gaagh?!" Burai gagged.

The Ikarugan was sent flying into a wall, crashing into it. As the dust from the collision began to clear, Kain waited for any sign of motion. He suddenly sensed something, then reeled his barrel behind him, where Burai suddenly reappeared behind him. The barrel was now pointing to his head.

"Wha–?!" Burai gasped.

"You keep aiming for my backside in these little 'get-togethers'," Kain said. "It gets pretty predictable over time."

Burai cursed himself, then kicked the blade up to avoid getting shot. Kain immediately struck the blade down to crush Burai, who got out of the way by jumping back.

"Razor Winds!"

Burai reeled his arms back, charging energy into the blades, then swiped both of them hard, as a stream of sharp blades of air launched from the blades and at Kain. Kain in response swiped his blade strongly, dispelling all of the air blades while charging energy into his barrel. Burai charged forward, thinking that it was an opening for him, but Kain simply reeled barrel in front of him just as he was about to strike.

"Dread Rifle."

Before Burai could react, Kain unleashed the charge shot, nailing him in the head and sending him into a pile of trash cans.

"Ow..." Burai muttered, getting up only to have Kain's barrel in his face.

"Geez, you need to learn when to give up," Kain spat. "At least then you can save some years."

Burai could only hold back his anguish and anger at the man in front of him as he leered at him.

"Oh and before you run off like always," Kain said. "I might as well give you a warning."

"A warning...?" Burai asked hesitantly.

"Recently there's some 'clown' going around trashing NOL branches," Kain explained. "No one even knows who this freak is, so we have no idea who he is, what he looks like, and whatnot. All we know is that he's deadly, and he could probably kill you."

Kain removed the barrel from Burai's face.

"So I suggest you stay on the lookout," Kain suggested in a taunting manner. "It'd be rather pathetic to hear the 'great Young Lord of the New Ikaruga' to get killed by some random terrorist. As hilarious as that would be to me."

Burai gritted his teeth as he jumped out of the trash and onto a building.

"This ain't over, Vermillion!" Burai yelled as he jumped out of the scene.

"What a sore loser," Kain concluded. "Although I have to admit...he's getting better. He certainly can use his Nox way better than Itsuki can at least."

With that, Kain put his hood back on and made his way back home.

* * *

"Well that's that," Kidou said as he got ready to leave.

"A 'clown'?" Alicia asked Kidou.

"Right," Kidou said. "Recently there's been some guy going around destroying several NOL branches, but we have no intel on who. We've been calling him the 'Cursed Jester'."

"This is like the time with the Grim Reaper," Alicia said.

"Yeah, but unlike then, we have no clues onto who this weirdo is," Kidou said. "...You be careful."

"...I'll keep an eye out," Alicia said. "It's not like I live in a pocket dimension where no normal mortal could ever step foot into or anything."

"Yeah, yeah," Kidou dismissed. "Well, I'm gonna go now."

"Until next time, I presume," Alicia said.

"See ya later," Kidou said as he headed off to his own destination.

Once Kidou left, Alicia looked down to Kain, who made his way out of the alley and headed back home, irritated that he wasted a lot of time.

"...The 'Cursed Jester'...eh?" Alicia asked herself.

Without a word, Alicia teleported out of the area.

* * *

_03/16/2216 AD 18:05_

* * *

Kain returned to his home yet again, this time going around back until he found a washing machine in front. Kain then took off his robe, threw it in the machine and began to add some detergent.

"Goddamn Ikarugan..." Kain muttered under his breath as he started the washing machine. "Can't they all just leave me alone? They didn't want anything to do with me back then...what makes now so special?"

As he saw his robe being washed in a torrent of soapy water, Kain headed back in. Inside, he saw his father, who was still cooking.

"What's for dinner?" Kain asked Ragna.

"Cream stew," Ragna said. "Your mom wanted to have some today, and since we got some more milk, I figured 'why not'."

"What? Isn't Mom helping this time?" Kain teased his father.

"You know full well that I keep your mom away from the kitchen for a reason," Ragna shot back.

"Yeah, because you're the only one in the family who can't eat her cooking," Kain snickered.

"I can eat her cooking," Ragna defended.

"Yeah barely," Kain said. "So, where is Mom anyways?"

Ragna pointed upstairs.

"...She making plans for tomorrow?" Kain asked.

"Well, being a preschool teacher means you have a shit ton of responsibilities," Ragna said. "I'll be ready in like an hour."

"Alright," Kain said as he headed upstairs.

The second floor of the restaurant was pretty much an apartment. A simple living room with a television, a large sofa, and a coffee table in front of it. From the living room, there was access to four bedrooms; three for the siblings and one for the parents, a closet for cleaning supplies and essentials, and a bathroom. Kain sighed as he went to his parent's room, knocked on the door, then entered.

"I'm back," Kain said.

His parent's room had a king size bed, with enough room for the married couple, a drawer next to both sides with a lamp on each of them, and a large bookshelf. Besides it was a sword similar to Kain's sword leaning next to it. Kain found his mother working at the desk to the right of the room, listening to some music while planning out her curriculum for tomorrow, where she noticed her son.

"Ah! Welcome home!" Noel greeted. "? Where's your robe?"

"I already put it in the washing machine," Kain said.

"So what did Kagura want?" Noel asked.

"Oh, he wanted to warn me about some new criminal running amok," Kain said. "Apparently this one's been going around destroying NOL branches."

"That sounds dangerous..." Noel said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the Library can handle it," Kain said. "They just need to investigate some more."

"Alright then," Noel said. "You just be careful."

"Of course," Kain said. "By the way is Akira and Saya here?"

"Yeah, they should be in their rooms," Noel said.

Kain nodded in response and left to allow his mother to resume with her work. He looked over to the other rooms.

"Ah I'll talk to them when dinner's ready," Kain mumbled. "I'm too tired for this shit."

Kain headed into his own room to rest for now. His room had a full sized bed sitting next to the wall, a desk to the left side with a laptop, a small television set plugged next to the door, and a drawer full of clothes. Kain un-hoisted his sword and threw it next to his bed, then crashed into it. Muttering something under his breath, he fell into a nap.

* * *

_The boy looked around. He was in a forest somewhere. He could hear several people talking with one another. He could see their shocked expressions. In front of him, he was several kids his own age; terrified. He didn't understand why they looked so scared. As he tried to reach out for them, yearning for an answer, he realized why. His left arm didn't look like his right arm at all. The dark mass looked more like a bloody red claw._

_It was staring straight at him._

* * *

"WHA–?!"

Kain's eyes shot wide open as he shot out of his bed. He was panting rather heavily as he looked around, realizing that he was still in his bedroom.

"...It was just a dream..." Kain mumbled.

He rubbed his head with his left hand, then glanced at the gauntlet that was housing his lower left arm. The black steel reflected the light escaping from the window. He looked over to the pauldron on the top of his hand. It was tightly sealed; no way for him to forcibly open it.

"...It's been roughly ten years, huh..." Kain muttered. "It was because of this arm...the moment the Azure took my arm...everything fell apart...didn't it..."

Kain leered at his arm. The gauntlet is a prison to his arm. A prison to the power that lies in it. A reminder of his past. The past that he resented so much. He couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger as he clenched his metal hand into a fist.

"Uh...Brother...?"

Kain snapped out of his train of thought to notice that someone was at his door. There was a girl with long blonde hair with white highlights hanging down and had heterochromia; her right eye was red, while her left eye was green. She was wearing a white shirt and a blue dress as she hanged by Kain's door.

"Huh...? Saya...?" Kain asked. "What's wrong?"

"Dinner's ready," Saya mumbled.

"What...?" Kain moaned, until he took a look at the clock on his desk. "I've been out for an hour...huh..."

Kain stretched his arms out as he got out of his bed. He then looked over to his little sister, genuinely smiling at her.

"Thanks, Saya," Kain said.

"Did you have that nightmare again?" Saya asked.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Kain said as he went outside, then rubbed Saya's head. "Now c'mon, let's go eat."

Saya nodded, blushing as she followed her brother to the first floor.

"So how was your day, Brother?" Saya asked.

"Huh? Oh, same old, same old," Kain said. "I did my job, killed a bunch of lowlifes, beat the crap out of the goddamn ninja...the usual."

"Did you get hurt?" Saya asked with concern.

"You really think normal criminals can hurt me?" Kain scoffed. "The closest was against Shishigami. At least he's competent on the battlefield."

"Haha...you're right...I guess..." Saya said.

Kain stared at Saya as they walked downstairs. She obviously looked a bit uneasy.

"You know, you don't have to stick with me if you're still uncomfortable," Kain said.

"What? No, I'm not uncomfortable!" Saya exclaimed. "I'm fine...! Really..."

"...Well you don't look the part," Kain said. "Seriously, if you're not comfortable, then you don't have to be near me."

"No! It's nothing like that!" Saya insisted. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Kain asked.

"It's just...it's been ten years...since..." Saya began to say, but stopped.

"...That wasn't your fault," Kain said. "How many times do we have to go over this?"

"But–," Saya said, until she was interrupted by Kain.

"That was ten years ago," Kain said. "No one's blaming you. You were just as much of a victim as I was back then."

"Brother..." Saya said.

"C'mon, let's stop talking about this," Kain said, switching the subject. "Let's go eat. I'm sure everyone can't wait to tell us their day."

"...Okay..." Saya mumbled timidly, blushing,

As she went on ahead, Kain stared back at her, a tinge of disappointment in his eyes.

"...Ten years since that happened as well..." Kain said. "And she's still beating herself up for it...I am a horrible brother..."

Kain sighed as he went downstairs.

* * *

He reached the first floor, where everyone was already sitting at a table.

"Hey, Brother!"

Kain looked over to his right, where a boy with short blonde hair with silver highlights and red eyes sitting to the right of the table.

"Akira," Kain said.

"How mean of you, Brother," Akira said. "You could've at least told us you came back before falling asleep."

"Hey, cut me some slack, I was tired," Kain defended himself, causing Akira to chuckle.

"Well, whatever, c'mon let's eat," Akira said.

Kain took a seat next to him, where Saya was sitting to his left. Soon enough, Ragna and Noel came in, carrying bowls of stew for everyone.

"Here you go," Noel said as she placed a bowl in front of each of them.

"Thanks," Kain said.

"Well then, let's eat," Ragna said as he set two bowls for himself and Noel.

They all obliged and dug into their meals. They talked about their day, laughing and bickering with each other as they enjoyed Ragna's cooking. All, except for Kain, who merely watched them and smiled.

'_Yeah...this is nice I guess...'_ Kain thought. _'Family is the best...'_

He took a sip from his glass of water. As he set the glass down, he saw his own reflection in the water. His eyes were blank.

'_Family would never betray each other,'_ Kain thought.

Ragna stared at Kain as he ate while Noel was talking to Saya and Akira, then resumed to eating his own meal.

* * *

_03/17/2219 AD 07:43_

* * *

Kain shot out of his bed once again, sweating crazily and panting. His hair was unruly; it was all over the place, where he took off the gauntlet, revealing his left arm.

"Goddamn it...not again..." Kain muttered, wiping the sweat off of him. "Ten years of this shit...the same shit over and over...it's like my brain wants to torture me."

Muttering something under his breath, Kain grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. He entered the bathroom, stripped himself of his black tank top and shorts as he stepped into the shower, turning the knob and letting the warm water wash away all the sweat. As he let the water hit him, he lifted his left arm. While his shoulder and the upper part of it was human, from his elbow to his hand was entirely a black mass; his fingers replaced with red claws. As he looked at the back of his hand, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Unlike Dad, I can't control this, can I...?" Kain asked himself, before shaking his head. "No...If I could, then I wouldn't need the gauntlet to begin with."

He fell deep in thought as he stared at the hideous mass as he began to wash himself.

_Roughly ten years ago, on my birthday, I was an ordinary kid. I used to be normal. I used to get along with everyone else. But then...all of a sudden, this thing decided to show up. I didn't even know what the hell was going on. I felt a hot sensation throughout my body, as if something was screaming to get out. Then, before I knew it, my left arm began to decompose quickly, before it burst apart, and the Azure made itself known._

Kain shivered at the memory of 'that'.

_That didn't even look like an arm at all...it was like a monster...like that 'Black Beast' I kept hearing about and read about in one of Dad's stories. I didn't even know what happened. Everything was shut out, as 'that' took one good look at me...Strangely enough, it seemed to accept me, and became the arm that I'm looking at now. But everyone else apparently saw it as well._

Kain gripped his hand into a fist out of anger.

_I didn't know what the adults were saying...probably had to do with the Azure that awakened in me...but 'them'. They saw what I had become. And they were scared. They didn't treat me like their friend. They didn't even treat me like a human. They cried, scared of the 'monster' that I was. They abandoned me...and I didn't even know why. Mom and Dad told me that I shouldn't talk to them for a while, a while being forever from what I realized._

_...And that's where everything began to fall apart._

Having enough of the shower, Kain turned it off, as he began to wipe himself with the towel.

_After they gave me the gauntlet to wear, the neighborhood began to ostracize us. Berate us. Treat us like animals. All because I was an animal. They were scared of us and lashed out. And we were the victims._

Kain put his clothes back on.

_Within two weeks, Dad lost his business. Mom had to quit her job because her so-called 'co-workers' didn't want her there and began to torture her. Akira was bullied at school by practically everyone, so we had to pull him out of there. Sam goes for me and Saya._

Kain headed back into his room, as he hanged his towel as he got dressed.

_Saya..._

Kain shook his head, not wanting to remember what happened.

_We had to move out of there to escape further backlash. Fortunately, Uncle provided us a home in Naobi. At least the neighborhood didn't antagonize us. But then again, who's to say it's because the Imperator is in the neighborhood that they're acting tame. In the end..._

_...I became alone..._

He threw his robe on as he pulled up his pants. He grabbed a red ribbon and tied his hair into a ponytail. He grabbed his gauntlet that was on his desk. The bottom part was opened, allowing him to put it on his arm, and the gauntlet closed up, fitting snuggly onto his arm. The pauldron then sealed tightly, guaranteeing that nothing escape.

"I better head over to Uncle's," Kain said. "Hikari should be starting her training by now."

Kain grabbed his sword, hoisted it on his belt, and left his room to start another day.

* * *

He walked downstairs to find his mother getting ready to leave.

"Huh? Mom?" Kain asked.

"Morning, Kain," Noel said, recognizing her son's voice.

"Morning," Kain replied. "You're about to head out?"

"Uh huh," Noel said. "What about you? You're about to head out to Jin's place?"

"Yeah," Kain said. "I still have to oversee Hikari's training."

"So how are they doing?" Noel asked Kain. "It's been such a while since I talked to Tsubaki and Jin."

"They're doing fine," Kain said as he got his boots on. "Hikari's learning pretty well too. She;s able to handle her Nox now."

"Good for her," Noel complimented. "She does have a great teacher after all."

"Is that so," Kain dismissed. "Well, I'm off."

"Have a nice day," Noel said. "And don't be too hard on Hikari. Jin is pretty protective of her after all."

"Will do," Kain said as he departed.

"Oh and Kain!"

Kain looked behind him to see what else his mother wanted. She just smiled and pumped her fist into the air.

"Do your best!" Noel cheered.

Kain looked a little surprised, but smiled at his mother's compassion. He lifted his fist in the air as well before leaving while putting his hood on.

"...You should at least try to trust them again, Kain," Noel said as she saw her son off. "...it wouldn't hurt."

Unbeknownst to Kain, Ragna was watching his son leave for his day from his window, staring at his departing figure with a critical stare. Noel saw that, then left for her day at her job.

* * *

Kain headed into the alleyways to avoid interaction with any people, maneuvering his way towards his destination. As he made a sharp left turn, he saw a reflection of himself as he entered a larger part of the alleyways.

"...Come to think of it..." Kain asked himself. "Why does everyone hate me wearing the hood? It's not like I'm doing anything wrong...what, they just don't like hoods?"

Kain stared at his reflection in question, but decided to dismiss it. Wondering about it would only waste more time. Sighing, he decided to continue his trek.

"Hey there."

Kain stopped dead in his track. He made sure no one was following him. He glanced behind him to see a man with short silver-white hair, wearing a black cape that covered his arms over his black shirt, a large wizard hat, and wore a mask that completely covered his face. He was sitting on a box that was lying around.

"You mind if I talk to you?" the man asked.

Kain glanced at the man, then proceeded to leave the premises.

"Well that's not nice," the man said politely. "Come on, a small chat won't hurt."

Kain glared at him, but decided against his better judgment to listen to what the man had to say. Something to clear his thoughts of the nightmare couldn't hurt.

"What do you want?" Kain asked.

"Aren't we cold," the man joked. "Now then, so you're the rumored 'Red Reaper', eh?"

"So?" Kain asked.

"The infamous vigilante who slays every target he sets his eyes on," the man went on. "The executioner of the NOL, and so and so. Those are the rumors I hear throughout these parts."

"Since when was I a part of the NOL?" Kain asked.

"Well you accept the majorities of your missions on behalf of the NOL, so that kind of built up on its own," the man said.

"Where is this leading to?" Kain asked, annoyed.

"Now, now, let's not get impatient," the man said. "During your exploits, you must have received praise from others for your plights, have you not?"

"...Yeah, so what?" Kain asked.

"With all things good, bad must come," the man said. "So you must've heard some rather...unpleasant criticism as well, haven't you?"

Kain raised an eyebrow, actually interested in what he has to say.

"Well I just find that ridiculous," the man said. "You risk your life doing all this much work for the sake of the people, and this is how they repay you? Even if the reward is grand, it doesn't matter if the people don't approve of you."

"I don't care about what the 'others' think about me," Kain growled. "They can piss off if they don't like what I'm doing. Not my problem."

"Do you really care?" the man asked. "Or are you just hiding it?"

Kain suddenly glared at the man.

"...What're you getting at?" Kain asked.

"You serve humanity as a vigilante, saving them from dangerous criminals," the man said. "And yet they don't give you the proper gratitude that you deserve. Compared to others, you're treated rather bitterly among the community outside of those who are involved with the NOL, and even they only see you as a way to make their lives easier."

The man got up and walked towards Kain, making him too close for comfort.

"...From that glare of yours," the man said. "It's quite obvious that you hate something."

Kain's surprised look reflected upon the man's mask. His soulless green eyes reflected on the mask.

"You have that cold, empty look in your eyes," the man said. "The kind of look that says 'I don't give crap about anything.' Is it safe to assume that something happened in your childhood?"

"Try learning something called personal space," Kain grumbled as he pushed the man away.

The man jumped back, landing on his feet as Kain gripped the handle of his sword.

"Am I right, though?" the man asked.

"...So what of it?" Kain asked.

"So I am right," the man said. "What could've happened that could've given you such a cold glare as a default expression?"

"Default?" Kain asked.

"People tend to say that _'that',_" the man said, pointing to his face. "...Is your default expression."

'_I really wanna shoot him now...'_ Kain thought.

"Well, beside the point," the man said. "There's no denying that something must've happened to give you such a foul expression. And said 'something' must've built up a lot of hatred within you. Enough to leave you emotionless when slaughtering all those criminals. Even if they were criminals, they're still human. You must really not have a heart to be able to commit murder like that at such a young age."

"Shut it," Kain hissed.

"The tone of your voice changed to a more aggressive tone," the man commented. "Are we mad? I thought you didn't care about what others thought of you. Or perhaps, do you actually care about what they think about you?"

Kain growled at him, starting to lose his patience.

"I guessed right again?" the man asked.

"Get to the point already," Kain hissed, having had enough of wasted time. "I don't have time for your philosophical shit. What are you trying to tell me? Spit it out now, or else I'm going to splatter your head across the goddamn alley! Out with it already!"

"Do you or do you not hate humanity?" the man suddenly asked.

"What? Why would I?" Kain asked.

"Well, judging from how you act, your cold persona, how you only accept missions that involve killing a human, in this case the 'criminal', and how you always kill the person you go after" the man inquired. "Then one could say that you harbor a deep hatred to humanity."

Kain leered at the man, as the man waited for an answer.

"...So what of it?" Kain asked.

"Well if you do hate humans," the man asked. "Then pray tell, why do you keep playing the role of a vigilante?"

"Huh?" Kain asked. "It's my job."

"You could've always picked something else," the man said. "An executioner would've fit you much better than a vigilante. You get to kill those on the death penalty and no one would judge you for it. After all, it's your duty to put the end to the lives of those damned souls. But instead, you chose the vigilante. The supposed 'harbinger of justice' that punishes criminals for the sake of the community. Ironic, since you fit the description for a serial killer much better than for a vigilante."

Kain tried to make a rebuttal, but the man did have a point. He could've chosen a different job that yielded the same rewards. Yet he chose the one that he would've despised the most.

"Was it for the approval of family and peers? Was it for the huge bounty?" the man asked. "Or was it...because you feel 'satisfied'?"

"'Satisfied'?" Kain asked.

"Yes, 'satisfied'," the man said. "You slaughter the criminals you're assigned to 'arrest', and you get a reward for it, and no one seems to mind as much. You get paid to be a grim reaper, bathing yourself in the blood of others. And you feel satisfied with that kind of life. In fact, you could say that you're out right enjoying it."

"So what? All this preaching was to tell me that I enjoy killing people?" Kain asked, now outright enraged.

"Pretty much," the man said. "But there's more...do you ever feel that just killing criminals isn't enough?"

"I've had enough of you," Kain growled as he swiped his blade.

But the man swiftly jumped out of the way, over Kain and landing behind him.

"Wha–?!" Kain gasped, shocked that he managed to avoid it.

"Haven't you ever had that feeling in your gut?" the man whispered. "The urge to demolish everything in your path...the urge to tear apart anything and everything that you despise...the urge to lash out against those whom left you for dead...the urge to satisfy any kind of vengeance...has that urge ever crossed your mind at all?"

"What the hell're you talking about?!" Kain yelled.

Kain turned around to punch him, but the man was gone.

"Where did he–?!" Kain gasped.

"What if I told you that I can help you satisfy that urge?" the man asked, this time back in his original spot.

Kain quickly turned around and aimed his rifle at the man, but he was gone.

"How the hell does he do that?!" Kain muttered.

"The name's Envy," the man said as he walked past Kain without him realizing it. "We'll talk again."

Kain jumped and turned around, but the man had disappeared yet again. Kain quickly looked around to make sure he hadn't disappeared somewhere, but this time, he was truly gone.

* * *

"...The hell was that about...?" Kain asked himself. "I hate humanity...? I want to kill everyone...? It wasn't enough...? What the hell was he talking about...?"

He looked at his left arm, staring at it while letting everything the man now known as 'Envy' said sink in. He only became a vigilante to enjoy killing criminals? And that he wasn't satisfied with just that, but wanted to destroy everything? Gripping his hand in anger, he put away his sword and punched the wall.

"Bullshit..." Kain growled. "What the hell was that jester preaching about...Wait...'jester'...?"

Kain looked to the direction to where he last heard Envy say something, until it hit him.

"Was that...the jester Master was talking about...?" Kain asked himself.

Kain gave it a thought, but shook it off. While he did show some impressive physical feat, and he did bear the resemblance of a jester, there was no evidence that the man called 'Envy' was the 'Cursed Jester'.

"...Might as well tell Master later..." Kain said. "...Crap I wasted a shit ton of time."

Sighing, Kain headed back off to where he needed to go in the first place, putting the conversation aside for now. Worrying about it now wouldn't do anything for him. But as he headed out of the alleyway, he sensed something and stopped.

"...The hell do you want, Clover?" Kain asked.

From the entrance of the alley, another man walked into the scene. The man had blonde hair, hazel-colored eyes and wore a white London-style shirt under a purple jacket, slacks and had a pointed purple hat with black lining on his head.

"Sorry for the intrusion," the man said. "But I do have name you know..."

"Whatever, 'Claude'," Kain grumbled. "So? What does Sector Seven want?"

"Professor Kokonoe wants to have a word with you," Claude informed him.

"Kokonoe? What does she want?" Kain asked.

"She told me that you've been skipping out on fine-tuning the gauntlet," Claude said. "And she's really peeved about that."

"What? She mad that she can't keep an eye on me with her precious 'insurance policy'?" Kain asked.

"You could say that," Claude chuckled. "But knowing her, she'll stay mad about this until you show up, and knowing her, that'll take a while. So I ask you. Can you come back?"

"...You expect me to do it just because you asked?" Kain asked, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"...I should've expected as much," Claude sighed. "But I'll be in trouble if I don't bring you back. Since words won't work..."

From behind Kain, the wall got destroyed into an explosion of bricks and dust. From the destroyed wall, a large puppet-like titan made its entrance. It had bulky, purple armor, with two arms as long as its body, two large attachments on its back, and a knight-like helmet, revealing two soulless blue eyes that were glaring at him.

"...Then I guess we'll have to bring you in by force," Claude concluded. "...Let's do this, Sieg."

"...Interesting..." Kain muttered as he brandished his sword.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** And that wraps up chapter 1! This chapter pretty much serves to show how Kain views society and people and his everyday life, along with some backstory on how his arm became what it is today. Yeah, not a pretty good life, is it? Yeah that's pretty much how his days go on. But then Envy shows up and questions Kain's own views on society, encouraging him to succumb to his anger. How will this affect Kain? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, and next time it's Kain B Vermillion vs Sector Seven's Claude Clover!

And as always, hoped you enjoyed the chapter, tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time!


	3. Story of Kain: Defiant: Chp 02

**Overture Sins**

**Story of Kain: Defiant**

**Chapter 2: Premonition**

* * *

**AN: **Sorry this took so damn long, life keeps reminding me that it can be a huge bitch sometimes. Besides the point, here's chapter 2!

_TEXT=people's thoughts/conversation via transmitter/phone._

TEXT=distortion drives

* * *

_03/17/2219 AD 08:16_

* * *

Kain glanced behind him and slashed at the puppet with his sword. The puppet instantly held his arm up and shielded the attack. Claude made his move as Kain was locked in his attack against Sieg, but kain saw this coming, and slid the blade off of Sieg's arm and aimed it at Claude. Kain then proceeded to shoot Claude, who jumped back to avoid the bullets. Kain tried to aim his rifle at Claude, but Sieg raised his arm and slammed it at Kain, who avoided it at the last moment.

"Tch...You guys are troublesome as a pair..." Kain growled.

"Well, you're a pretty troublesome opponent," Claude responded. "Disruttivo!"

As Kain was about to attack Claude, Sieg got in the way and shielded Claude. Sieg then receded his arm and lunged it at Kain, who blocked the hit, but was sent back from the force of the attack.

"Damn it...!" Kain growled.

As Sieg was preparing another attack, Claude jumped over Sieg and jump kicked Kain. Kain jumped back to avoid Claude's attack, as Claude landed on his feet and assaulted Kain with impressive kick-boxing tactics. Kain avoided the attacks and retaliated by slashing at him with his sword. The two exchanged and avoided clashes, until Kain smashed his sword against Claude's leg. Surprisingly, the sword didn't cut through it.

"The hell...? You have a metal plate on your leg or something?" Kain asked.

"Well, my main weapon asides from armagus and Sieg are my legs after all," Claude said as he kicked Kain's sword back. "So I need some insurance."

"Strike Inferno!"

"Allegro!"

Kain's sword leaked dark flames as Kain lunged it at Claude, while Claude answered it by quickly smashing a cog at it, knocking both attacks away.

"Spicatto!"

As Kain landed back on his feet, Sieg aimed his claws at Kain and shot them out like long spikes at him. The boy narrowly dodged all of them, but was now open for another attack. Claude used the opening to smash his foot into Kain's gut.

"Gaugh?!" Kain gagged as Claude sent him into a wall.

As Claude cautiously approached where Kain crashed to see if he was still conscious, Kain burst out of the wall and rammed the rifle barrel at Claude's gut, followed by shooting him a point blank range.

"Guogh?!" Claude gagged as he was shot back.

Kain got back up as Claude managed to land on his feet and charged at him. His left claw began to emit black sparks as he lunged to grab Claude's head. He stopped just as Claude reacted and was about to smash two sharp cogs at his head. At the same time, Kain lifted his rifle at Sieg, who was about to attack him from behind.

"You two make a pretty good fight..." Kain muttered as he glared at Claude.

"Well it is 2 against 1," Claude replied. "This better be at least satisfactory, or else that's a sign saying that we really suck."

"_Will you two quit wasting time?!"_

A voice suddenly rang in their heads, catching their attentions as they released their deadlock.

"Professor...?!" Claude gasped.

"...The hell do you want, Kokonoe?" Kain asked.

"_Don't 'the hell do you want' me,"_ the voice now identified as Kokonoe shot back. _"I don't need any more bad publicity for Sector Seven, idiots.'_

"But Kain refused to come with us!" Claude argued.

"Well he's the idiot who summoned a giant metal puppet on me!" Kain shot back.

"_I don't give a crap about who started it or whatever, just stop the stupid bitching and get your ass over here now!"_ Kokonoe yelled.

"Yes, ma'am," Claude replied.

"And why the hell do I have to go to you now?" Kain growled. "I'm on a tight schedule here."

"_The brat can wait," _Kokonoe scoffed. _"Unless you want your arm to go berserk."_

That got Kain's interest, as he glanced at his left arm.

"_I don't care whether you think you're fine or not, the gauntlet is gonna say otherwise, and you know damn well that only we can fix it," _Kokonoe said.

"Tch..." Kain muttered, realizing that Kokonoe won't budge. "Fine...just don't take too long."

"_Claude, Sieg, get him back here," _Kokonoe ordered.

"Of course, Professor," Claude said.

Sieg simply nodded as the voice disappeared without a trace.

"Honestly, you should know better," Claude said. "Why are you always so adamant about not going to Professor Kokonoe?"

"None of your business," Kain shot back. "Now let's go. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can get my day over with."

"Fine," Claude sighed. "Sieg, let's go."

Sieg nodded in acknowledgment as he engaged a sort of engine within his chest, where he teleported Claude, Kain and himself to their desired location.

* * *

Soon enough, the three of them were teleported to a large cargo bay. Several ships were docked there, as they saw several deliverymen conversing with scientists and maintenance workers, most likely about supplies or resources being delivered. A musky smell polluted the air, as the three of them made their way inside the actual building that they were in.

"So where the hell is she?" Kain asked.

"She's in her lab," Claude said. "Don't worry. This'll be quick."

"It better," Kain muttered as he followed the puppeteer. "I don't wanna waste any more time here."

Claude sighed at Kain's irritation and led Kain to where Kokonoe is. After walking through several branching hallways, they finally reached the lab.

"I brought him, Professor," Claude said as they walked in.

They walked in to see a woman with golden amber eyes with visible bags under them and wore a white jacket with oversized sleeves working on something. She had long pink hair tied up in a specialized style, consisting of a long ponytail backing up longer tufts resembling large cat ears that overshadow her actual cat-like ears and two pink cat tails, while she was chewing on a lollipop. With the woman was a moderately tall man that looked similar to Claude with blonde hair, blue eye, wore glasses and a white lab coat over a purple shirt and pants. Besides him was a large puppet similar to Sieg, but has a more feminine appearance, appearing to wear a dress of some sort. Sieg walked over to Kokonoe and bowed to her, his head at the same height as Kokonoe's.

"Took you long enough," the woman spat as she petted Sieg's head.

"Good work, Claude," the man said nicely.

"Thank you, Father," Claude said.

"It's been a while, Mr. Clover," Kain said.

"Likewise, Kain," Claude's father responded. "How's Mr. Ragna and Miss Noel doing?"

"They're doing fine," Kain said.

"Seriously, I don't get why you're so bullheaded in coming here," Kokonoe grumbled. "You're smart enough to know that you can't maintain that thing by yourself."

"Because I don't want to become your goddamn guinea pig," Kain growled. "You always take advantage of the situation whenever I go to you!"

"Heh, well that's your own fault," Kokonoe simply scoffed.

"How the hell is that my fault?!" Kain yelled. "Ugh, whatever. Just hurry it up, will ya?"

Out of frustration, Kain took off the gauntlet and flung it at Kokonoe, who caught it with her hand.

"Calm down," Kokonoe said. "This'll be over in a snap. Just go waste some time and don't do something stupid."

Muttering something under his breath, Kain exited the laboratory, leaving Kokonoe to adjust his gauntlet.

"For Christ's sake, he's just like his stubborn father," Kokonoe grumbled.

"You can't really blame him though, Professor," Claude's father said. "He has gone through some tough times. I'm just glad that he's interacting with others. Must be tough for Mr. Ragna and Miss Noel though..."

"...As long as he doesn't do anything stupid, I don't give a crap," Kokonoe grumbled. "Now you get back to work, Carl."

"Of course," Carl said as he went back to his own work.

Kokonoe sighed as she examined the gauntlet.

"Ragnarok System, engage," Kokonoe said.

The gauntlet's pauldron opened up, as Kokonoe plugged a cord into the open pauldron. On her monitor, several charts of data began to display, as she looked through the charts.

"...That idiot..." Kokonoe muttered. "He's pushing it too far...at this rate not even this can suppress it."

Kokonoe leered at the data, as she glanced at the gauntlet.

"For now, I guess I'll have to reinforce the suppression," Kokonoe mumbled. "If this does break out, then we'll have no other choice..."

Kokonoe leered at the gauntlet as she began to upload something into it.

"Well might as well update this thing," Kokonoe said as he process went on.

After a few minutes, all the data was downloaded into the gauntlet, and Kokonoe unplugged the cord out of the gauntlet.

"Ragnarok Seed Version 6.54, deploy," Kokonoe commanded. "Ragnarok System, re-engage."

The gauntlet began to emit some violent jolts of electricity as the data began to process throughout the machine, until eventually the sparks ceased, and the pauldron closed up. Kokonoe grabbed the gauntlet as she examined it one last time. After making some final adjustments to the frame, Kokoneo then headed out of her office in search of the user of the machine.

"Now, knowing that bloody killing addict," Kokonoe muttered. "Then he must be..."

* * *

In the training arena. Here, several field operatives for Sector Seven practice their skills here in weaponry or close quarters. Kain was practicing his sharpshooting with his rifle, effortlessly shooting down target after target to waste time while Kokonoe was adjusting his gauntlet. Soon enough, he shot down all the targets, where a perfect score was displayed in front of him. Kain sighed, as he put away his sword.

"You bored?"

Kain glanced behind him, to see Claude without his jacket.

"...You guys need better training programs," Kain muttered. "These are just pathetic."

"Well you're on a different level compared to normal fighters," Claude reasoned with him. "You can't really compare yourself with normal people."

"Don't you guys have something more worthwhile?" Kain asked. "Where's Old Man Tager? He always proves to be a good challenge."

"He's out on a mission," Claude said. "If you're that bored, then do you want to finish our fight?"

"Really now," Kain said, actually interested in his offer as he brandished his sword.

"Huh...? Oh there he is!"

As the two were prepared to fight, Claude was suddenly punched out by someone.

"Wha–?" Kain asked.

"GUAGH?!" Claude gagged as he flew into a wall.

The perpetrator was a girl with short brown hair, blue eyes, and wore an orange tank top and skirt, along with a large squirrel tail emerging from behind. She had two heavy gauntlets on her arms.

"You got a lot of nerve, you bastard!" she yelled. "Why the hell did you steal my kill yesterday!?"

"What–What're you–Calm down, Mary–OW!" Claude yelled as he was being beaten by the girl.

Kain just stood there, watching the girl brutalize Claude effortlessly while the boy helplessly tried to get out of her deadlock.

"The hell...?" Kain asked. "What're you doing?"

"Huh?" Mary asked as she turned to see Kain. "What the–?! Kain?!"

"The hell're you doing...uh...Mary...right?" Kain asked, trying to remember her name.

Mary stopped beating Claude and quickly brushed herself up, all while blushing madly.

"W-When did you get here?" Mary asked.

"Your brother dragged me here because Kokonoe wanted the gauntlet," Kain explained. "I'm just waiting for her to hurry up already. I have shit to do..."

"Is that so..." Mary mumbled. "So...how've you been doing...?"

"Fine...I guess..." Kain muttered. "A little starved, since I didn't get to eat anything."

"Really? Well, you could always eat here," Mary offered. "I was about to eat too...so..."

"Is that so," Kain said. "Well, I guess I can accept free food."

"Seriously?!" Mary gasped.

"I got nothing else better to do while waiting for Kokonoe," Kain said.

"Yes!" Mary said to herself.

"Well, since I have nothing better to do, why are you trying to murder your brother?" Kain asked.

"Right," Mary said. "This asshole stole my kill yesterday!"

"Stole your kill?" Kain asked.

"Ow! She's just mad that she couldn't finish off a mission–OW!" Claude explained while getting punched.

"That was MY mission! Who the hell're you to steal that from me, you gay bastard!" Mary yelled.

Kain just watched the siblings fight each other and sighed.

"How pointless..." Kain muttered to himself. "Either way they got the target..."

"Oh there you are."

Kain turned around to see Kokonoe, who was holding his gauntlet and was accompanied by Sieg.

"Great, you're done," Kain said.

"You really need to learn how to conserve your power," Kokonoe spat as she hurled the gauntlet at him.

Kain caught it, and equipped it onto his left arm. The metal snapped shut tightly, as he moved his fingers to test it.

"? It's tighter than usual..." Kain said.

"You keep exerting the Azure so much, so I had to increase the suppression that much," Kokonoe said. "You really need to be careful on how often you use the Azure, or else not even this can suppress your arm."

Kain looked at the gauntlet. So even Sector Seven and their technology has a limit to control over the Azure.

_Have I really been using the Azure that much?_

"...And what would happen if Ragnarok can't contain it anymore?" Kain asked.

"...Well we'll find out if that ever happens," Kokonoe said. "So don't try to instigate it."

Whatever the risk was, Kain certainly didn't want to find out. The gauntlet was the only thing that was keeping his Azure from going berserk. Not to mention that it actually protects everyone else from it.

_If I can't use this...then how will this affect the outside...?_

Kain contemplated on how the Azure would take an effect on those around him if he couldn't use the gauntlet as a suppressant. While he doesn't mind if the Azure were to, say, eat the souls of the insignificant 'humans' around him, but there is a risk that those whom he actually cares for would also get affected by the Azure.

...There is still a reason to protect them, at least.

"...Fine, I'll heed your warning," Kain said. "But don't expect too much. I'm gonna have to use this if the situation demands it."

"Just try and not get yourself into a situation that bad," Kokonoe said.

"Got it," Kain said.

"By the way..." Claude interrupted. "Didn't you say that you were in a hurry or something?"

"Eh?" Kain asked Claude.

"Oh that's right, I forgot," Mary said, getting Kain's attention. "Hikari called. She wanted to know if you were here."

"Hikari...?" Kain asked, until he remembered something. "...Shit..."

* * *

"_YOU'RE LATE!"_

On a visual transceiver at Sector Seven, Kain was busy dealing with an enraged girl. The girl had long red hair with blonde highlights tied up into a ponytail, rather angry blue eyes, while wearing a beige training shihakusho uniform. In her hand was a long sheathed katana wrapped in paper seals. The girl was Hikari Kisaragi, the daughter of the current Imperator of the NOL, Jin Kisaragi, as well as Kain's own pupil, after the Imperator requested that he train her in the way of fighting. The girl angrily awaited for Kain's answer, as the boy just groaned as he scratched his head.

_Well, someone's pissed._

"Look it's not my fault," Kain grumbled. "I was sidetracked by Sector Seven."

"_Then why didn't you answer my calls?!"_ Hikari demanded.

"You called?" Kain asked as he searched his pants for his phone.

He got it out and checked it, only to see that the girl did in fact have called him. Five times. In the span of 10 minutes.

"How the hell did I not notice that...?" Kain asked. "Right, I was doing the shooting gallery...well...sorry, I guess..."

Hikari still glared at him angrily as she puffed her cheeks.

"Oh for the love of..." Kain muttered. "Look, I'm sorry for taking so goddamn long, but shit happened."

Hikari leered at Kain, then took a deep breath.

"_I'll forgive you..."_ the girl muttered. _"On one condition."_

"Sure, name it," Kain replied.

"_W-We have dinner together tonight..."_ she muttered timidly, blushing. _"Of course, you're treating."_

"Huh? Dinner? Tonight?" Kain asked.

"NO DON'T DO IT–GUEEH?!" Mary yelled before being pulled back by Claude.

"The hell...?" Kain asked as he glanced behind to see the two siblings trying to murder each other, but decided to ignore it. "Sure, whatever."

"_Really?!"_ Hikari gasped. _"You mean it?!"_

"Sure, what's the harm," Kain said.

_At least she's bearable._

"_Alright then! We'll talk more about it later,"_ Hikari said, her mood having taken a complete 180.

"Are you at Naobi, or in Okoto?" Kain asked.

"_I'm in Naobi,"_ Hikari reported.

"Alright, I'll be there soon," Kain said before hanging up the transceiver. "Okay, I really need to get going now...Alicia!"

In response, a black portal appeared right under Kain. The boy fell straight into the hole and the hole then closed up. Seeing the boy disappear, Mary punched Claude in the face.

"The hell was that for?!" Mary yelled. "I was trying to stop her get a date with him!"

"Trust me...you would've made it worse..." Claude gagged.

Kokonoe simply sighed as she watched the two kids bicker among each other.

"Morons..." Kokonoe muttered.

Sieg merely was staring at Kokonoe muttered something under her breath.

* * *

A black portal opened up, as Kain dropped down and landed into a garden of roses. He looked up to the sky. Despite it being morning, the sky was that of night, as a full moon shined down upon them. A large fence surrounded the garden, as a large mansion stood proudly in the night.

"Requiem..." Kain muttered. "So she dropped me off here first."

"Oh, what do we have here?"

Kain glanced over to a table, where a girl was sitting there drinking tea. The girl had blood-red eyes, long blonde hair, some of it tied up into a ponytail, where a black ribbon was tying it, giving her the impression of rabbit ears. She wore an elegant and grand black dress and two separate black sleeves, revealing her shoulders. A pudgy red bat and a black cat were besides the girl, as she glanced at the boy arrogantly.

"...Rachel," Kain muttered, recognizing the girl.

"Greetings, Kain," Rachel said as she took a sip from her tea cup. "I presume Alicia summoned you here."

"Well I was planning to go to Naobi, but she decided to intercept me," Kain said.

"Is that so," Rachel said. "Good. This saves me the time of finding you."

"Huh? You need something?" Kain asked.

"We need to talk to you about the Azure."

Another black portal opened besides Kain, where Alicia emerged from it.

"The Azure...?" Kain asked, looking at his left arm.

"As Kokonoe told you," Rachel explained. "Your gauntlet is reaching its limit of its suppression of your Azure."

"And how do you know that?" Kain asked.

"I reported it to her," Alicia said, where Kain shot a glare at Alicia.

"Oh gee, what a friend you are," Kain muttered sarcastically. "You could at least have the decency to _not_ tell others of my problems."

"Kain, this is something even I cannot keep a secret," Alicia said, genuinely sounding worried.

Kain looked a little surprised at Alicia, as Rachel continued.

"If the Azure were to become too much for Kokonoe's contraption," Rachel explained. "Then I fear the worst."

"What exactly would happen if the Azure goes berserk and Ragnarok can't contain it anymore?" Kain asked Rachel.

"Surely you can come up with that yourself," Rachel said. "Or are you really that dense?"

"The hell did you say?!" Kain growled.

"Like father, like son I suppose," Rachel sighed. "Your tongue is just as foul as his. I would have assumed your mother would have done something about that, but I suppose the girl has her limits to parenting."

Kain growled in irritation, as the heiress went on.

"If the Ragnarok cannot contain the Azure, and it goes berserk," Rachel explained. "...Then you would lose to it, and there is a high probability that the Azure shall consume you and take over your body."

"What?" Kain asked, genuinely shocked.

"The main purpose of the gauntlet you wear is to prevent that from happening," Rachel explained. "But it is not absolute. Continuous stress on it and it will not be able to contain the Azure."

"Wait...Then can't I just control the Azure on my own if it comes to that?" Kain inquired. "I mean, it is a part of my body after all."

"Perhaps," Rachel said. "Unlike your father, who obtained his Azure, or your mother, who was 'created' to harness it, you were 'born' with the Azure, so it should be more compatible to you. But that doesn't mean that you have full control over it."

Kain looked confused, as Rachel finished her cup of tea.

"Valkenhayn," Rachel called.

As soon as she called for him, an elderly butler with long white hair tied up into a ponytail wearing an aquamarine suit adorned with gold trimmings appeared besides the girl, carrying a tea set.

"More tea, Madam Rachel?" the man asked.

"Thank you, please do, Valkenhayn," Rachel said.

Valkenhayn poured Rachel another cup of tea, as he did the same for Alicia.

"Thank you, Valkenhayn," Alicia said.

"It is my pleasure, Madam Alicia," Valkenhayn smiled.

"As I was saying," Rachel said. "While you may have a better compatibility with the Azure since you were born with it, there are also other factors to think about."

"Other factors?" Kain asked.

"Yes," Rachel said. "Physical limitations, mental stability, emotional stability, the list goes on. Even if you say that you can control it, there is no guarantee that it will comply just for you."

"Why not?" Kain asked.

"The Azure is a powerful grimoire," Rachel said. "No matter what, it will not simply listen to you. While I would advise you not to think of the Azure as your own strength, you are a 'special case', and thus, the Library and Sector Seven are keeping an eye on you. I shall only advise you one thing, and I shall only say it once, so do listen."

Kain rolled his eyes, but listened contently. He knew all too well that he should at least listen to Rachel's premonitions. They haven't failed before.

"Do not lose to the temptation of the Azure," Rachel said. "Even if it is your power, it will still corrupt you. You are not almighty to it."

Kain looked at his left arm and stared at it. The Azure would corrupt him? Of course, he had already had his doubts in the past, but he never took mind to it. Surely since the Azure was sharing a body with him, that it would comply to keep the balance. But the possibility of the Azure taking over was still a possibility. A possibility that he found a little doubtful, since the Azure showed no signs of that so far, but a possibility. Nonetheless, he didn't want to see it to believe it.

"...Very well," Kain said. "Anything else?"

"Oh yes, one more thing," Rachel said, before putting on a grim expression. "...Beware of 'him'."

"'Him'?" Kain asked. "Who the hell're you talking about?"

"You will understand if you meet him," Rachel said. "If you do, then do not attempt to fight him. Just run."

Kain looked rather surprised at Rachel's warning. She definitely isn't the type to do something like that. Or at least what he is aware of. Maybe the haughty and arrogant heiress to the vampire clan has some compassion in her after all.

"Of course, knowing you, you would just ignore my warning and rush off into battle like a brute," Rachel scoffed. "So this warning maybe pointless. But do try and keep that in mind. You aren't like your barbarian of a father, so at least try to think before you act."

Then again, there was always room for belittling for her.

_Damn rabbit..._

Kain muttered something under his breath, while Alicia sighed. She always knew that her mother would never go easy on others and show her authority. Especially if said 'other' was Ragna the Bloodedge, then she would really let loose on the ridicules. She did notice that Rachel was somewhat more lenient towards Kain compared to how she treats others. Perhaps it is because Rachel was planning to have him be the new heir to the Alucard Estate. Which would mean that he would be married to her.

Alicia's cheeks began to flush red as she shook the idea out of her head.

No that was just a hypothesis. A hypothesis that she would not mind, but a hypothesis. Knowing her mother, she would never let someone of a 'lower class' such as her childhood friend over here take over as the heir to her estate. Nor would her mother make him be her groom. Again, a hypothesis that she would not mind at all. But then again, that would be the only logical reason as to why Rachel is so lenient towards this particular boy than compared to others.

"Alicia? Hey, wake up!"

"Huh?!"

Alicia snapped out of her train of thoughts to see Kain leering at her.

"What're you dozing off for?" Kain asked.

"Sorry, what?" Alicia asked.

"I was asking if you could teleport me to the Naobi Estate," Kain said. "I need to teach the Kisaragi princess, and I'm already an hour late thanks to the nerds back at Sector Seven."

"R-right..." Alicia muttered. "Of course..."

She opened up a portal beneath Kain, as the boy fell into it, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

"Are you sure that was the wisest choice, Alicia?" Rachel chuckled. "You are giving your enemy that much of a chance with the boy."

"Wha–?!" Alicia blurted, blushing, before she began to choke on her tea.

"Madam!" Valkenhayn exclaimed as he went to tend to her with a small towel.

"I am fine," Alicia managed to cough, accepting the towel.

"You're not quite there yet, it seems," Rachel said as she took a sip from her tea.

Alicia just moaned in annoyance as she had a worried expression on her face, concerning the red marauder.

* * *

_03/17/2219 AD 10:04_

* * *

The portal opened and Kain landed in front of a large eastern feudal manor. The gate that stood in front of him slowly opened, as Kain walked into a garden of camellia flowers as a low breeze swept away some of the petals.

"Better hurry," Kain muttered as he made his way to the entrance to the manor.

He was greeted by several guards, who eyed him suspiciously, but let him into the manor. Kain looked around as he roamed the wooden halls of the manor. After wandering the halls for a while, he heard the sounds of swords clashing. He went to the source which led him to the backyard, where he found Hikari, training by herself with a long katana that shined brilliantly practicing her swings and aims.

"Well now, aren't you dedicated," Kain said.

Hikari heard the voice and turned to see Kain, much to her joy.

"Kain!" Hikari practically squealed, until she remembered that he was late, and became angry again. "You're late!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kain muttered as he walked into the backyard. "So how's the Idaten? You managed to make it work?"

"Oh, right," Hikari said. "Yes, I have been able to control it at the very least. Hang on. Allow me to finish off my practice."

As he allowed the girl to finish her practice, Kain eyed the blade in question. Nox Nyctores: Mucro Veloces: Idaten. One of the new Nox Nyctores that were created from a collaboration project from NOL's Engineering Department and Sector Seven as a mean to replicate Nox Nyctores while aiming to balance out the emotional effects upon the user and making them just as strong; if not stronger; than the original set of ten Nox Nyctores. The catalyst is also replaced with a different energy source, diminishing the need of several human souls to smelt one. In other words, the new Noxes are more 'user-friendly', according to Kokonoe with little to no side effect.

_But then again, that's outright impossible. If that was possible, then they would have mass produced these weapons. While they attempted to balance out the emotional effects, that ended up leading to an unprecedented side-effect: the user must focus all of their emotions into one 'requirement', lest the new Nox Nyctores shall destroy the user's mentality, physique, or as a worst case scenario, the weapon will kill the user. Nonetheless, the weapons have proven to be outright devastating if correctly used. But for these weapons to unleash their full potential, the user must fulfill the 'requirement'. Hearing such a restriction would make one assume that the people in charge of developing these weapons purposely made this restriction to achieve what they wanted._

Currently, there exists only six new Nox Nyctores: Mucro Sanctus: Excalibur, Bellum Machina: Palladion, Gladius Luna: Tsukiusagi, Mucro Veloces: Idaten, Eterminatore Stella: Supernova and Mucro Procella: Tengu. They all have their own special abilities and requirements, and they all currently have an owner. All questionable at the very least. Well at least Kidou is a reasonable choice.

Kain glanced at his own sword. It certainly wasn't one of those new Noxes. It was 'worse'.

_Why the hell they decided to give _Hikari _of all people one of these is beyond me._

"I'm ready, Kain!"

Kain broke out of his train of thought to see that Hikari was done practicing.

"Alright then," Kain muttered as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Let's see how much you improved since yesterday's lesson."

* * *

"Here I come!" Hikari yelled as she brandished her sword.

And in an instant, the redhead vanished. Kain quickly brought out his own sword to get greeted and flung it in front of him, blocking a strike that seemed to come out from nowhere. Hikari reappeared behind the man and landed on her feet. Cursing under her breath, Hikari brandished her sword once more and vanished yet again.

_Mucro Veloces: Idaten. Translated as 'Swift Sword', it amplifies the user's physical speed to obscene levels, potentially reaching that of light speed, making Hikari one of the fastest fighters in existence. Of course, while the speed is unrivaled, her actual physical strength is left to be desired, where the speed somewhat makes up for it._

Kain quickly jumped to the side and swiped his blade, making contact to a red blur. The impact threw Hikari off course, making her crash into a tree. Enraged, the girl vanished again.

_Of course, using the blade itself is a challenge. The user must be able to calculate the timing needed to hit the opponent, how fast they need to go, the timing for recovery, reaction time, and of course how you go about adapting to the situation at hand. Theoretically, you need to be a tactical genius to perfect using the Idaten._

This time, Kain glanced behind him, and launched a powerful kick in that direction, greeting Hikari's blade and pushing her away.

_Too bad Hikari is anything _but _that. Seriously, she's so predictable, even _Burai_ isn't that obvious. Which is why Uncle told me to teach her how to do all of that. Because A: she chose the Idaten, and the Idaten chose her, so she needs to know how to fully use it. _

"What's the matter?!" Kain mocked. "Is that all you got?! Geez, you're still a total pushover. C'mon! At least try!"

"Kh! I'll show you!" Hikari growled as she vanished once more.

Kain snickered as he brandished his sword, and began to swing all around him, each time clashing against Hikari's blade as she tried to strike him down at a blinding speed from all angles.

_B: both Uncle and Aunt are too busy with their duties, so I'm left in charge of making sure she learns how to use the Nox properly. Can't blame them though, being the Imperator and wife of the Imperator means that they have a shit ton of priorities to deal with._

"Form One..."

Hikari suddenly appeared right in front of Kain and smashed the hilt of the sword into his gut.

"Vector Break!"

As soon as she turned the hilt, a huge pulse shot out from it, shooting Kain away, but it wasn't enough to send him into the air.

"At least you're improving with your techniques," Kain said.

"Form Two: Sonic Dual!"

Hikari reappeared in front of Kain, this time brandishing both her sword and her sheath, and flung them up, creating two arrows of light that intertwined and shot at Kain.

"Grave Sword."

Kain in response, swiped his sword quickly, shooting a black energy sword that intercepted the Sonic Dual, causing both attacks to get erased. Seeing that Hikari was struggling, Kain purposely yawned in front of her, provoking the redhead warrior to try harder to spite him.

"I'll show you!" Hikari declared angrily. "LUSTER FANG..."

Hikari re-sheathed her sword, allowing it to charge light energy.

"Well now," Kain snickered, glad that his taunt worked as he brought his blade back, charging it with dark energy. "DESTRUDO..."

"HORIZONTAL FLASH!"

"BLADE!"

Hikari revealed her blade once more, this time vanishing the moment she did, while Kain dashed forward for an assault. He didn't even move an inch, as he quickly swiped his sword to clash against Hikari's sword, which was an inch from slicing his head off. While Hikari was struggling to push him back, Kain was just watching her struggle, until he decided that this practice match had lasted long enough, and overpowered the girl by flinging his blade, sending the warrior to the sky.

"KYAAAAA!" Hikari cried as she crashed to the ground on the other side of the backyard.

Hikari tried to recover and get back up, but she was met with a blade to her face, as Kain loomed over her.

"That's enough for today," Kain said.

* * *

"AUGH!" Hikari yelled as she fell to the ground. "I couldn't even touch you!"

"What're you talking about? You touched me," Kain said. "Well at least your sword did. With my sword."

"You know what I mean," Hikari deadpanned as she sheathed her sword.

"Well look at the bright side," Kain offered as he put away his sword. "At least it wasn't as bad as yesterday."

"Don't even remind me," Hikari mumbled, refusing to recall that circus act of a match.

"C'mon, quit sulking," Kain told her.

"I'm not sulking," Hikari angrily insisted as she puffed her cheeks.

"Then that means you're sulking," Kain said. "There were plenty of stuff to complement, anyways."

"Really?" Hikari asked.

"For one, you're starting to improve with your control," Kain explained. "Not to mention you managed to develop some good techniques to complement your speed."

"Really?!" Hikari practically demanded.

"Although you're still as predictable as an overused meme," Kain said, making Hikari instantly slump down in shame. "You're learning. And that's what's important."

"Is that so..." Hikari said, happy that Kain actually complimented her. "Thank you!"

"Huh? Is it really something to thank me for?" Kain asked.

"Of course it is!" Hikari exclaimed.

"See, you can be a good teacher."

"You sure about that?" Kain asked. "And by the way, what the hell're you doing here, Kidou?"

Kain glanced to the manor, where Kidou was sitting on the porch, drinking a small cup of tea.

"Dad was called here by the Imperator," Kidou explained.

"I see," Kain said.

Behind Kidou was a man with short red hair wearing a blue kimono and a black hakama. Hoisted on his belt was a blue sheathed katana, as the boy glared at Kain with his own emerald green eyes.

_And there's C: her brother doesn't qualify and is overall an asshole._

"And what does the 'prince' want?" Kain asked mockingly.

The 'prince' leered at Kain, less than pleased to see him.

"Father called for you," the boy muttered.

"What does he want?" Kain asked.

"I don't know," the boy muttered. "Either way, he demanded your presence, so get moving."

The two boys glared at each other as the tension suddenly grew around them.

"Kain, Brother, please do not fight," Hikari beckoned.

"C'mon, cool it," Kidou told them.

The two boys glanced over to the other two, deciding that it wasn't wise to make a commotion.

"Fine," Kain growled. "Where is he?"

"In his room," the boy muttered. "Don't keep him waiting."

"Yeah, yeah, put a sock in it, Itsuki," Kain growled as he made his way.

Itsuki leered at Kain as he left, then glanced over to his sister.

"Was he treating you properly?" Itsuki asked.

"Of course, Brother," Hikari answered. "He is doing a splendid job as my mentor."

"I see," Itsuki muttered.

"C'mon, lay off him," Kidou insisted. "He's doing fine."

Itsuki muttered something under his breath, then followed Kain out of the scene.

"Why do those two have to hate each other?" Hikari asked Kidou.

"It's like oil and water," Kidou said. "They don't mix well together. You should know that more than me, Hikari."

"Yeah I know..." Hikari muttered.

"Anyways, I better get going," Kidou said. "Ya wanna come too?"

Hikari looked up and accepted the offer, as the two of them followed Itsuki.

* * *

Itsuki and Kain eventually found the room where they were supposed to be, as Itsuki knocked on the door.

"_Enter."_

Itsuki opened the sliding door, as the two of them walked into the room. In front of them was Kagura Mutsuki, dressed in his usual attire, along with a man who bore a similar look to Itsuki but only with blonde hair and had a much calmer expression on his face. He was wearing a blue and white robe reminiscent of a feudal emperor, where a similar blue sheathed katana was placed besides him. Near the man was a woman who resembled Hikari, only the woman had blue eyes and she wore a rather formal pink kimono adorned with white trimmings. The man was none other than Jin Kisaragi, current Imperator of the NOL, and the woman was his wife, Tsubaki Kisaragi.

"Welcome, Kain," Jin greeted rather jovially. "How have Brother and Vermillion been doing?"

"They've been doing fine," Kain said.

"That's good to hear," Jin said. "Come, have a seat, both of you."

The two boys gave them a little bow as they took a seat on one of the cushions on the floor; Kain took a seat next to Kagura, while Itsuki took a seat near the woman.

"Uncle even called for you and Kidou, Master?" Kain whispered to Kagura.

"Yep," Kagura whispered back. "Which can only mean something big is gonna happen. Speaking of which, where the hell's Kidou?"

As if as a response, Kidou and Hikari made it to the room.

"We're terribly sorry for being late Father! Mother!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Yeah what she said!" Kidou said, earning a facepalm from Kain and Kagura.

"And he's a Major how?" Kain asked Kagura.

"Well, he does slip up sometimes," Kagura answered.

"It's quite alright," the man said.

Kidou took a seat near Kain and Kagura, while Hikari took a seat next to Itsuki.

"Now, why I called for all of you is to discuss something dire," Jin said. "Are you all familiar with the 'Cursed Jester'?"

Kain, Kagura and Kidou looked up at the mention of the jester, while Itsuki and Hikari looked somewhat confused.

"The...'Cursed Jester'?" Hikari asked. "If I may ask, who is that?"

"The jester is a fugitive responsible for the recent destruction of several NOL branches," Jin explained.

"What?!" the two siblings gasped.

"So that's what this meeting is about..." Kagura whispered to Kain and Kidou.

"Is there any information on the jester?" Itsuki asked Jin. "Perhaps an identity, physical description, anything?"

"I'm afraid not," Tsubaki joined in. "The 'Cursed Jester' is the only thing we have on him."

Itsuki and Hikari looked confused, as Jin activated a panel, which displayed a virtual copy of a newspaper article: 'Several Librarium Branches mysteriously destroyed!"

"No one within the NOL was able to get a good look on who the jester is," Jin said. "All the soldiers occupying the branch that he destroys are all killed off."

"What about security footage?" Hikari asked, but Jin shook his head.

"The jester knows what he's doing," Tsubaki said. "There were frequent reports that the security systems are disabled before the NOL branch targeted is attacked. Theoretically, the jester must have disabled the security before attacking it."

"So we have no leads..." Itsuki muttered. "Then why do you call him the 'Cursed Jester'?"

"That's because he apparently assumes the identity of a 'jester'," Kagura said.

"How do you know this, Sir?" Itsuki asked.

"Don't underestimate my intel, kid," Kagura smirked. "Although even we weren't able to get much. All we did get, however, was that his appearance resembled a 'jester'. And thus we called him as such."

"A jester, huh..." Kain muttered. "Wait...that reminds me..."

"What's wrong Kain?" Kidou asked, hearing Kain's muttering.

"I probably saw him," Kain announced.

"What?!" they all gasped.

"When did this happen?!" Kagura demanded.

"This morning," Kain explained. "While I was on my way here, I ran into some weird clown. Asked me some trivial things..."

"What did he look like?" Jin asked.

"Short white hair, large wizard hat, black overcoat," Kain explained, trying to remember what he looked like from memory. "And he had a white mask that completely covered his face."

"Did you manage to get a name?" Tsubaki asked.

"He called himself 'Envy'..." Kain said.

_Envy...? 'Jealousy'?_

"While there is no actual evidence that supports that this 'Envy' character is the 'Cursed Jester'," Jin said. "We can't rule him out just yet. It seems too coincidental that such a suspicious figure would appear when this is happening."

"But still, you managed to gather this much information by yourself," Tsubaki commented, somewhat impressed.

"Well I had the luxury of meeting the psycho face to face," Kain muttered.

"So did he show any traces of being a psychic?" Kagura asked.

Kain recalled the time that he met the jester in question. Kain couldn't even keep an eye on him.

"If that wasn't him being a psychic, then we're pretty screwed," Kain muttered.

"So there is a possibility," Kagura said. "Anything else you managed to get?"

Kain tried to recall the event to see if he mentioned anything else.

"_What if I told you that I can help you satisfy that urge?"_

Kain immediately shook his head when the jester's quote resurfaced into his head.

"Kain? Is everything alright?" Tsubaki asked.

"...Yes, everything is fine, Aunt," Kain said.

"Are you sure?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kain assured his aunt. "Anyways, I couldn't get any additional information from him. He teleported out of the area before I could interrogate him."

"I see," Jin said. "Well nonetheless, good work, Kain."

Kain simply nodded, while glancing over to the side to see Itsuki glaring at him. Kain just rolled his eyes as he recalled what Envy had told him this morning.

"_Haven't you ever had that feeling in your gut?" the man whispered. "The urge to demolish everything in your path...the urge to tear apart anything and everything that you despise...the urge to lash out against those whom left you for dead...the urge to satisfy any kind of vengeance...has that urge ever crossed your mind at all?"_

Kain shook his head, trying to forget that quote. That was ludicrous. He never had that kind of obsession, right...?

"For now, we'll continue our investigation," Jin said. "For the meantime, we're going to increase security for the remaining branches. We need to get some physical evidence that the jester is this 'Envy' character."

"As for the rest of you," Tsubaki said. "Be careful. We have no idea what this man is capable of, or what he is aiming for. You must be alert at all costs."

"Understood, ma'am," the three kids of the NOL said, while Kain simply nodded in response.

"I shall return to my duties then, Father," Itsuki announced as he got back up.

"Understood," Jin replied. "Stay safe."

Itsuki bowed to his father and headed out of the room. As he passed Kain, the two glared daggers at each other before Itsuki left.

"Well, I'll be on my way then," Kain said as he stood up to leave. "Got a job to do."

"Ah, Kain!" Hikari exclaimed. "Do you...uh remember what I said back at Sector Seven...?"

"Huh? Sector Seven?" Kain asked. "Oh right, you said I had to treat you to dinner tonight...yeah, I know, I know...is around 7 okay with you?"

"Yes! That would be perfect!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Alright then," Kain said as he left. "Let's go, Kidou!"

"Wait, don't leave me!" Kidou yelled as he chased after Kain.

* * *

"So...you're going to have dinner with Kain, eh?" Jin asked his daughter.

"Uh...y-yes... Hikari mumbled.

"Are you sure you aren't bothering him?" Tsubaki asked.

"O-Of course not!" Hikari denied.

"I hope so," Tsubaki said. "He already has enough worries as it is."

"Well anyways, make sure you stay safe," Jin said.

"You'll allow this?!" Hikari gasped.

"Just don't come back too late," Jin simply commented.

"Thank you Father!" Hikari exclaimed.

The girl rushed off to her own business to prepare for the night.

"You sure you should be letting your baby girl off with a boy like that, your highness?" Kagura snickered.

"You saw it too, didn't you?" Jin said. "Even if I denied her, she would've found a way around it. I just made it easy on her."

"And you don't have any say in this, Tsubaki?" Kagura asked her.

"Although normally I would have disagreed with Jin," Tsubaki said. "He does have a point. Knowing how stubborn she can get, we would never hear the end of it."

"Plus, Kain is more than capable of protecting her," Jin said. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Jin got back up as he headed for the door; Tsubaki following after him.

"The kids deserve to find their happiness," Jin said. "They don't deserve to be plagued with the past like us."

With that, the two left, leaving Kagura by himself. The man simply sighed as he got back up.

"Like that'll be easy..." Kagura said. "Judging from the looks of things...They have a bumpy road ahead of them..."

Kagura looked out to the window, a rather remorseful look on his face.

"...You guys are really trying too hard..." Kagura muttered before he left. "Oh the day the kids learn of our 'war days' is the day everything falls apart."

* * *

_03/17/2219 AD 17:18_

* * *

"Finally, they're all dead."

Kain, Kidou and Alicia had finished the job they were assigned, having killed off the last criminal.

"Well, that's that," Kidou said, then had a mischievous grin on his face. "Now then, don't ya have ta get ready for yer date?"

"Huh? Date? The hell're you talking about?" Kain asked Kidou, catching Alicia's attention as he was collecting the corpses and stuffing them into a duffle bag.

"Oh c'mon, don't play dumb," Kidou said. "Yer going ta have dinner with Little Miss Hikari, aren'tcha?"

"That's not a date," Kain said. "I'm just paying for dinner and she's tagging along. If I don't do this, then she won't shut up. Oh what a bother..."

_Why the hell did I agree to do that, anyways...? _

"Now, now, don't be so bitter," Kidou said, placing his arm around Kain. "This could be yer chance, man."

"My chance...?" Kain asked.

"Oh god yer so dense," Kidou muttered. "Yeah, chance, c'mon it's every man's calling. Ya need to get a girl or something, I mean c'mon, ya can't be all gloom and doom forever. Ya need a girl in yer life ta give you some love, ya know what I'm saying?"

Kain just looked at his friend in disbelief, as if the words coming out of Kidou's mouth was pure gibberish.

"You've been hanging around with Master for too long, haven't you?" Kain asked. "Piss off, I'm just fine."

Kain pushed Kidou away and resumed collecting the corpses. But Kidou wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Hey, I'm saying the truth here," Kidou said. "Ya need to get someone ta relieve some stress in yer life. Ya plan to die alone or something?"

"I don't give a shit about any kind of relationship," Kain growled, his friend was starting to annoy him. "I'll worry about shit when it's actually important."

"C'mon, don't be like that," Kidou said. "This is a chance. Ya might not get another one."

"You're telling me to try and hit on my cousin," Kain deadpanned. "I've had enough of you for one day..."

"Does it really matter?" Kidou asked. "There ain't no rule about incest in the government. So I say it's alright ta' go and pound her right in the–."

But before Kidou could finish, Alicia summoned a black portal above Kidou, where a black claw shot out from it and grabbed Kidou by the head and dragged his head into the portal.

"MGGGGGAUGGH?!" Kidou gagged as the claw was muffling him.

"You fool. Are you trying to help him or promote incest?" Alicia asked angrily.

"Won't he suffocate from that?" Kain asked.

"Oh, who cares," Alicia simply scoffed. "Beside the point, Kidou is trying to say is for you to go and enjoy yourself. Personally, while I am against the idea of you with that aristocrat, this 'date' is good for you."

"How the hell is wasting money good for me?" Kain asked.

"Asides from Kidou and I..." Alicia said. "Do you have any other people you can call a 'friend'?"

"Huh? Why the hell do I–?" Kain asked.

"Do you?" Alicia interrupted him.

"Uh...well...no..." Kain muttered. "Wait, what about the Clover twins? They're bearable."

"Do you honestly consider them your 'friends'?" Alicia asked.

"Well...no..." Kain muttered.

"Look, you need to learn to open up more to others," Alicia said. "Your problem is that you don't trust virtually anyone, sans a few, because of your own opinions that you developed over the years and thus push them away from you."

"...What're you getting at...?" Kain muttered angrily.

"I can understand why you would hate humanity," Alicia said. "But can you honestly say that all humans are like what you believe them to be?"

"Wha–?! That's..." Kain muttered.

"At the very least, there are others that says otherwise to your self-imposed hatred," Alicia said.

Kain leered at the girl, although she had a point. While he does hate humanity as a whole, wanting to have nothing to do with them, throughout his life, there were those exceptional few whom managed to convince his opinion otherwise, although he doesn't want to admit it.

Hikari was an example. While she was a bit stubborn, persistent, clumsy, and loudmouthed, her determination to stick with the imposed training and her dedication was something else.

Seeing that Kain was a bit hesitant to agree, Alicia sighed and snapped her fingers, where Kidou was dropped to the earth from the hole.

"Ow...!" Kidou groaned.

"Now redeem yourself," Alicia said.

"I know, I know," Kidou said. "Well, she does have a point. While you may think that all humans are scumbags that ya shouldn't trust, you should've realized that not everybody's like that. At least Hikari isn't. Ya can't keep relying on just us, ya know."

Kain leered at his two friends, then grumbled something under her breath.

"Tch, fine I'll try to bond with the girl," Kain muttered. "But don't expect anything."

Kidou and Alicia sighed, but were relieved that Kain would at least attempt to open up to others.

"But first, you need proper clothing," Alicia said. "You were planning to go in that, weren't you?"

"Huh?" Kain asked.

Alicia pointed to Kain's outfit. His black tank top and pants were stained with the blood of their prey, while his red robe had dark stains on them. Not to mention his wardrobe reeked of the smell of iron and rotting flesh.

"So? I'll just wash it and throw it in the drier," Kain said. "It shouldn't take that long."

"Oh no," Alicia said. "If you're going on an outing with a girl, and the princess of the NOL no less, then you need a more suitable attire. One that doesn't reek of a corpse."

"Fine," Kain sighed. "I should still have some spare clothing left..."

"Good," Alicia said. "And don't forget to take a shower."

"And ya might wanna clean yer sword," Kidou said, pointing to the blade that was lathered in the red liquid.

"Fine," Kain grumbled, starting to get annoyed.

"Good," Alicia said. "Now then, let us depart for the NOL, then get you ready for your outing."

"Ya mean date?" Kidou snickered, earning a slap from Alicia. "OW!"

"An 'outing'. Not a 'date'," Alicia muttered. "And speaking of, what were you trying to tell Kain back there!?"

"What? Any respectable man knows that the end goal of romance is for the girl to get in their pants," Kidou shot back. "Or at least that's what Dad told me."

"Oh that perverted fool..." Alicia muttered.

As the two began to bicker, Kain went around and finished stuffing all the dead criminals into a duffle bag. As he lifted the bag over his shoulders, he noticed something off on the distance. It was a large white humanoid-like being that just stood there in the distance. Kain would say that it was staring at him, but he didn't see a face on it. It was outright intimidating, strangely.

"The hell?" Kain asked himself as he squinted to get a better look.

"Kain? What're ya' doing?" Kidou asked.

"What?" Kain asked, turning to Kidou.

Kain turned back to get a look at the thing, but it was gone.

"What the–?!" Kain gasped. "Where did it go?"

"Kain?" Kidou asked. "Something the matter?"

"...No, it was nothing..." Kain said.

_What the hell was that?_

Shrugging it off, Kain headed back to his two friends as Alicia created three portals, where the trio dropped into them.

* * *

In the midst of a hierarchical city, the jester Envy was walking through the alleyways, humming a tune while fiddling with a knife.

"Just a little longer," Envy said. "And soon enough, he should catch onto the bait..."

Envy looked up to the orange sky, and began to chuckle.

"I wonder how those fools will react when their little secret is unearthed," Envy said to himself. "...Oh well...for now, I'll let 'him' break the news for me...I mean, who else better to than a 'relic' from the past?"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** And now we have the plot moving, along with some character development from Kain. Introduced some more characters, including some of the canon cast members of BB after 20 years of change. And now Kain has a little 'dinner date' with Hikari, while Envy is brewing up some trouble.

Again, I apologize for taking so long to post this, but even summer vacation didn't save me from crap happening in my life here and there. I'll try to make the next chapter as soon as possible.

And as always, hoped you enjoyed the chapter, tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time!


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